Resources: Tips

Twelve Tips on Saving Energy

1. Ask Green Homes Brookline to conduct an energy audit on your home.
2. Lower your heat thermostat to 55 degrees while you are away or when you'll be asleep.
3. Turn off lights when they are not being used. Install compact fluorescent bulbs.
4. Set the thermostat on your water heater at 120 degrees.
5. Use a microwave or convection oven instead of a conventional oven whenever possible.
6. Avoid running water continuously while doing dishes, washing up, brushing teeth, or shaving.
7. Adjust refrigerator settings to 37-40 degrees and freezer to 0-5 degrees.
8. Install low-flow shower heads to use less hot water. Take shorter showers.
9. Drive more slowly. There is at least a 20% loss in fuel economy as speed in creased from 55 to 75 mph. Keep your tires fully inflated.
10. Combine automobile trips for shopping and errands. Do not let engine idle. Bike, carpool and use MBTA when possible.
11. Eat low on the food chain. It takes nearly 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein compared to plant protein such as beans and grains.
12. Buy local produce rather than items trucked in from afar and bring home in reusable bags.

I'm a renter. I can't insulate or change the furnace. Is there anything I can do? Absolutely!!

1. Go vegetarian, or cut your consumption of meat way back, especially beef.
2. Use a bike or the T to get around.
3. If you pay for your electricity, sign up for NStar Green. This allows NStar to purchase your electricity from a wind farm and reduces your carbon footprint by as much as 25%.
4. In the summer, shop at farmers’ markets. The closer the farms, the less fuel it took to get to you.
5. Buy non-petroleum based laundry products. A good clue is if the box says “biodegradable”.
6. Wash clothes in cold water. They will get clean – honest.
7. Get non-petroleum based hair products and cosmetics. Go to the Environmental Working Group’s website (ewg.org) and get a list of recommended products. If the box says “100% organic”, that’s also good to go.
8. Get plastic inside window kits. They will pay for themselves in a year.
9. Get your landlord to put down batting in the attic and seal up obvious leaks.
10. Cancel all of your catalogs. See the merchandise you want to order online.
11. Have your bank statements and brokerage account materials sent to you by email.
12. Vote your proxy statements by email.