Beat the Heat (of Cooling Costs)

Here in Texas, August is the hottest month of the year. (Well -- usually. This August our weather seems to be laughing in the face of global warming and has been about 20 degrees cooler than usual.) With temps hitting 100+ degrees on a regular basis, we have no choice but to run our air conditioners non-stop, and no choice but to wrack up huge bills for energy costs.

Or do we?

Did you know that by simply replacing your manual thermostat with a digital thermostat, you can save about $180 per year on cooling and heating costs? These thermostats can be purchased at any home improvement store for around $40, are easy to install, and enable you to program them according to your personal schedule and needs, ensuring that you stay cool (or warm) when you most need it, and that energy is never wasted when you're not home or when you're in bed at night.

Digital thermostats are not just for homeowners; back in our apartment days, my husband swapped out our old manual thermostat that we were constantly bumping up and down, and forgetting to adjust when we went out, and our energy costs dropped noticeably.

So be cool: replace your thermostat!

Bright Green

The "energy crisis" is one of the most frequently used phrases bandied about on the news, and is also one of the 2008 Presidential election hot buttons. Left in the hands of politicians, goodness only knows how long it'll take to avert this crisis. Fortunately for us, we don't have to know how many politicians it takes to screw in a lightbulb. (Answer: none; we can do it ourselves.)

Did you know that by swapping out those old incandescent lightbulbs for fluorescent bulbs, you can use up to 75% less energy to light up your home? Each bulb you replace with a fluorescent bulb will last up to ten times as long, as well as save you up to $30 over its lifespan. (And with the price of gas climbing every day, we can all use the extra cash!) Not only do fluorescent bulbs reduce costs associated with lighting, but they also burn 75% cooler than standard lightbulbs, thus reducing home cooling costs.

As if the personal benefits aren't incentive enough to make the switch, check out the effect this could have on a national level:

If every American home replaced just one light bulb...we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. (EnergyStar.gov)

For more information on how to choose the right fluorescent bulbs for your home, check out Energy Star's helpful guide.

Now that's the brightest shade of green you ever saw.