Your Energy Bills Part 3

Paying for energy is an expensive part of home ownership, and you never know when prices will shoot up. Preparing for that and making changes now will pay off in a big way and ease the burden of your energy bills.

• When you buy new appliances, make sure you buy ones with the ENERGY STAR label, as you will be assured the product saves on energy and pollution.

• Buy front-loading washing machines as they cut water usage by 60-70%.

• Old refrigerators are particularly energy inefficient. A new refrigerator that is energy efficient can save up to 1.4 tons of CO2 per year.

• Always clean/replace air filters as recommended for your air conditioner and hot-air furnace. They work a lot harder drawing air through dirty filters. Cleaning one dirty air conditioner filter can save 5 percent of the energy used or 175 pounds of CO2 per year.

• Get your exercise and save on gasoline and CO2 emissions by walking, biking, carpooling or using mass transit whenever you can. When you save a gallon of gas, you save 22 pounds of CO2 emissions.

• Buy cars that get good mileage. That seems straight forward, but did you know that just the difference between a car that gets 25 mpg versus 40 mpg will save annual CO2 emissions of 3,300 pounds when you drive just 10,000 miles per year? That’s a lot of money and environmental savings!

• Take it to the office. Work with your employer to reduce energy use and waste there too. Workplaces have enormous potential to affect our environment, so recycle, get rid of plastics and Styrofoam – these are just a few ideas.

These helpful, money-saving home improvement ideas are brought to you by
Jim Starwalt, RE/MAX Center, 847-548-2625 and Home Warranty of America, Inc.

Jim Starwalt

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Jim Starwalt, Broker Associate RE/MAX Center, Phone: 847-548-2625 Jim@StarHomeFinders.com