Many people are of the opinion that things like hurricanes are making the consequences of our changing climate crystal clear. To that end, it might be a bit tempting to be of the mind that stricter standards for emissions and investments in renewable energy might lead us to a future that is not as stormy. However, while these policy initiatives are critical, there need to be changes in our homes, too.

According to the US Department of Energy, the typical American family spends an average of $3,052 each year on their utilities. Changing a few of your energy habits might not make a drastic reduction in your bills, but even tiny savings can add up through the years. And you would be reducing your carbon footprint.

“Changing a few of your energy

habits can help to reduce

your carbon footprint.”

Solar

There are now record numbers of homeowners who are making the switch to solar. There are quite a few good reasons to do this. The first and foremost reason is that you will be drastically reducing your carbon footprint. This allows you to play a role in the fight against climate change. You will also be lowering your energy bills and protecting your family and yourself from energy rates that are on the rise. You may also be adding to the equity of your home. For more information about this, check out Ion Solar.

Gardening

Did you know that you can reduce your carbon footprint by gardening? By having your own garden at home, you will be doing more than growing your own food. You can be more vigilant about the chemicals that you use on what you grow. You can also recycle waste from your own house or yard to make your own compost to use in the garden as fertilizer.

Growing your own vegetables will also help you reduce your carbon footprint because there won’t be any fuel or emissions expended either by getting the produce to the market so that you can buy it, but also because you won’t have to travel to the market to purchase it. Aside from all of that, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you can produce your own food.

Turn Down, Unplug, Screw In

Many strategies for saving energy are inexpensive or even free. Today’s technology also makes it easier for us to follow through with the advice that most of us have been hearing. For example, smart power strips  will automatically shut down the power that is being sent to your electronics when they are not being used. This can be things that typically drain power even when they are not being used – like DVD players and printers. These power strips also have a few outlets that are marked with ‘always on’ for those devices that do need power on a continuous basis, such as a DVR. (Image source:)

There are also other types of smart power strips that actually come complete with a remote control that allows you to turn things off while not needing to get down on the floor to do it. Do a quick scan of your home and see which appliances you have that can be unplugged, like gaming consoles that you don’t use any more, or a window air conditioner that isn’t in use in the colder months.

Home Improvements

Once you have an idea of how your energy is being wasted, you can do something about fixing it. You can find out how your energy is being wasted by having a home energy audit. Some of the obvious places you could be wasting energy are places like the cracks around your windows and doors. (Image source:)

These are easy to fix with just a bit of caulk or some weather stripping. You might also want to seal up any gaps that might be around your heating and air conditioning ducts. Another easy fix for energy that is being lost is to add insulation to your walls and roof.

All of these things are things that you can easily do yourself and they can save you quite a bit on your energy bills while also reducing your carbon footprint.

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