Eco-friendly Stuff Every Home Should Have: Energy Products Articles: Eco20/20

Eco-friendly Stuff Every Home Should Have

Efficiency appliances of course, but, here are a few other money savers that will take a load off the wallet.

* In the Bathroom: Low Flow Showerheads

* Ok, so the real issue is that any man tame enough to shut his water off while lathering might be obliged to turn in his 'man-card'; and most women won't give the idea any sort of acknowlegment, unless you count sour sneers. We know conventional showerheads waste more than five gallons of water per minute; and for the average home it means showering consumes a sixth of the water used every day. But fixing the problem has been...well, a problem. Constricting the flow is usually as unsatisfying as it sounds. But a number of new low-flow, luxury showerheads have been re-engineered to provide the sensation of a full volume spray; and can pulse strongly enough to sooth almost anyone who loves thrumming, hot showers.

* For Lighting: LED Light Bulb Replacements

* LED's are shatterproof, cool to the touch, and now available to replace incandescent bulbs up to 100 watts, while consuming less than thirteen watts and lasting in the neighborhood of 50,000 hours. Where an incandescent would cost $20 a year to power and need to be replaced 2 or three times a year, an LED would cost just $2 a year to power and could last ten years.

* Outdoors: Using solar energy for spotlights or pathway lights is quicker and easier than digging an electrical system into the yard. With LED's, solar lighting will have an even sweeter aspect. If you already have power-lines in place, LED's are truly spectacular cost-savers, reducing the energy consumption of outdoor spot-lighting by as much as 85% over conventional floodlights.

* Indoors: There are so many tempting oodles of options. Room lights, desk light, accent light, cove lights, string lights, garage lights, stair lights, infinitum. Wow, just wow. Take the money you save and go shopping for…hey, maybe a rooftop solar panel.

* For Self-Sufficiency: There are Two Basics

* A residential wind turbine or solar energy array will cut the cost of powering all the other gadgets and gizmos of every modern home. Then, when the power goes out for the rest of the block, you may utter an evil chuckle, switch the essentials to battery backups and sip a hot chocolate while you snuggle under an LED lamp and read a book.

* Plant a garden, raised-bed, if you have room for it. If space is tight, make do with a patio container garden, or hang tubs on the windowsills. Brighten your day, prune your grocery bill, and give yourself a good reason to be outdoors, with everything indoors turned off. Add a compost bin to trim the need for commercial fertilizer.

Lastly, a recycling bin simply for the sum of it, for the planet, even if it doesn't add a dime to your own pocket. And just one other thing: add a special time in your day to stop, breathe, and enjoy.