Posted by Everyone appears to be aware that major changes like installing a tankless water heater or adding spray-foam insulation to open walls can both benefit the environment and save you money. However, there are a ton of easier, less expensive ways to raise your eco-scorecard as well. Here are some low-stress household improvements you can make to make your home healthier, lessen your carbon footprint, and cut your monthly expenditures.
Cut the electricity to your tools
Decide which cordless instruments (such as drills and drivers) are used the most, then unplug the chargers from the others. The nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries used in the majority of cordless tools can retain some of their charge for up to a year. Every month, they lose 15 to 20 percent of their energy, but they quickly regain it. The lithium ion batteries in newer equipment only lose 2 to 5 percent of their charge per month, so they’ll still work even if you haven’t charged them in a while.
An increase in light wattage
Try consolidating any fixtures in a space where you still use incandescent bulbs (with dimmers or three-way switches). One 100-watt incandescent bulb uses 17 percent less energy than two 60-watt lights combined while producing more light. The 100-watter produces twice as much light while using the same amount of energy as four 25-watt bulbs. Just be sure your bulbs don’t use more wattage than is suggested for each fixture.
Keep leftover paint thinner
Recently painted your home in Capital Smart City Islamabad? Allow the contaminated solvent to rest overnight after removing oil-based finishes from brushes and instruments. The clear thinner will remain on top as the sludge sinks to the container’s bottom. Decant the clear thinner carefully into a fresh jar, then seal it up to use later. Never pour the leftover sludge down a drain or into a street gutter; instead, dispose of it at a hazardous waste disposal facility.
Initiate control over your charges
Purchase a cheap battery tester, then set up a “battery center” where you can keep fresh cells, test the power of used ones, and lay aside any burned-out cells that need to be recycled. You won’t toss out faulty batteries in the trash if there is a dedicated pickup location. You simply carry the pile to the recycling facility in your town once or twice a year.
Be in control of your charges
Lay up a “battery center” where you may store fresh cells, test the power of used ones, and lay aside any burned-out cells that need to be recycled after making a low-cost battery tester investment. You won’t be tempted to throw away dead batteries if there is a dedicated collection location. You simply carry the pile to your town’s recycling facility once or twice a year.
Dishwasher use
Washing the same number of dishes by hand is much less efficient than running a full load through your dishwasher. This is particularly true if you use an Energy Star dishwasher, which uses only 4 gallons of water on average per load as opposed to 24 gallons when doing them in the sink. Each year, using one will save you 230 hours of your time, $40 in utility expenditures, and 5,000 gallons of water.
Your toilet tank should be blue
or red or green. Fill the tank with food coloring, wait two hours, and then check to see whether any color has gotten into the bowl. If it has, either due to mineral buildup or damaged parts, your tank’s flapper is leaking. After flushing the color away to prevent staining, go to the hardware shop and purchase a replacement flapper assembly (thisoldhouse.com has installation instructions). Up to one gallon of water per minute is lost due to toilet leaks. In a month, that equates to over 43,000 gallons.
Clean your shoes
Install a set of mats at your exterior doors, or a single, long “walk-off” mat, to encourage people to wear clean shoes inside. You’ll significantly lessen the amount of dirt tracked in as long as there is space for five steps on the mats. As a result, there will be fewer disease-causing germs and less chemical cleanup. Additionally, it will result in better indoor air quality because vacuuming or walking on embedded dirt in a carpet can cause it to become airborne.