Tenants – How can You Save Money by Going Green?
We all know that reducing our energy and water consumption is great for the environment and it can also save you money. Do you know how to save money by going green? If you are ready to make changes to lessen your impact on the world around you, here are just a few tips to get you started.
Lights
Turn off unnecessary lights. If you’re not in the room or there’s enough natural light, don’t use lights you don’t really need. You can further cut costs by using LED light bulbs. Did you know that:
- LED lights use 75% less energy than regular bulbs
- LED lights last 15 to 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs and 3 times longer than compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s).
So while the initial cost of the LED bulb might be a bit higher, the savings down the road will outweigh the cost of the bulb since you won’t be replacing them anywhere near as often.
Water
Shorten your showers and shut off the water when you’re shaving or brushing your teeth. You can bring your water usage down by about 5% just by doing these simple things. When you do laundry, run full loads and wash everything on the cold setting. You’ll not only do fewer small loads, but you also won’t be paying to heat the water.
Heat
For homes with electric heat, lowering your thermostat by 2 degrees can save you about 5% on your heating bill. You’ll save another 10% if you drop it by 5 degrees at night while you’re sleeping. Add an extra blanket to the bed and you won’t even notice!
Save money by going green
Use the lowest heat setting on your dryer and dishwasher, and unplug unnecessary appliances, gadgets and gizmos to further reduce your energy consumption.
Lower energy consumption and water usage means lower bills, and less damage to our environment. Sounds like a WIN-WIN situation we can all benefit from. If you’re serious about looking for ways to improve your consumption, BC Hydro has more wonderful tips on their website at www.bchydro.com or you can Google your way to better habits as well. [su_divider]
At RE/MAX of Nanaimo Property Management, we want to take care of our environment. Incorporating some of the simple tips above can help not only your bottom line, but can help preserve our resources for future generations – something we should all be concerned with.
