Going Green at Home

Going green is the trend now

From buying cars that use less gas to recycling, the ways in which you can be kind to the environment is catching on.

News Three’s Night Side Reporter Alice Massimi caught up with one “guru” of going green to find out some simple things you can do at your home.

“So in the kitchen what you want to look for is energy efficient appliances specifically ones that have the Energy Star label,” says Tommy Linstroth.

“Your fridge which runs 24 hours a day 365 days a year with an Energy Star label is typically 15 to 20 percent more energy efficient.”

“The Energy Star dishwasher is energy efficient but it also uses significantly less water, 30 to 50 percent less than a traditional washer.”

You can also save water by spending as little as two dollars.

“You can see every faucet pretty much comes with an aerator on it to help control how the water comes out now. On a standard faucet the aerator uses 2.2 what you can do for 2 dollars is to go down to your hardware store and get a low flow aerator and cut you water in half.”

Another cheap thing you can do to save yourself some money is change out your light bulbs from standard bulbs to Compact Fluorescent bulbs.

It uses up to 70 percent less energy and last up to seven years.

“Another quick and easy thing to do around the house is to eliminate phantom loads. Phantom Loads are electricity that is being consumer through small appliances or electronics that are plugged in that are being used.” 

Even your cell phone charger, if you are not charging your phone, unplug the charger. Tommy says phantom loads can account for up to 15 percent of your monthly bill.

As the temperatures start to soar think about a programmable thermostat.

“The main benefit is you can actually set it up with a schedule so if you are working all day you can actually turn your ac during the day or set it way back and then have it programmed to come on at 4:30 if you get home at 5:00.”

Some other tips for homeowners:

 Replace your windows to ones with double panes

 Purchase dual flush toilets

 Buy Green Cleaning Products

 Add more Insulation (use spray foam)

 Buy Carpet made of recycled fiber

 Use locally produced building materials

 Fix leaky faucets

 Turn rain sensors on your sprinkler system