Reducing your carbon footprint depends largely on using less carbon-producing energy. Living green and saving energy is a goal shared by many, but fewer actually take action to save energy. Often the best way to encourage action is to keep the barrier to taking action low.

In that vein, here are 10 easy ways you can reduce your carbon footprint at home. There is literally no reason that almost anyone cannot take these simple, energy-saving steps.

1) Set your refrigerator temperature at 36° to 38° and your freezer at 0° to 5°. They will use less energy when you reduce the differential between the temperature of the room and the temperature set point inside the refrigerator and freezer.

2) Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.

3) Use a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven or cook top when possible to conserve energy when cooking. Savings are particularly striking when reheating food or liquids.

4) Replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy and save money on light bulbs and electricity.

5) Plug computers, printers, televisions, and other electronics into switchable power strips so that they can be completely switched off when not in use. Otherwise, these electronic items will draw power continually to remain warmed up. This is the so-called vampire energy drain that will cost you significant money every year and increase the size of your carbon footprint.

6) Wrap your water heater in an insulating blanket to reduce heat loss.

7) Turn off the lights when leaving a room for more than about 2 to 3 minutes. A lot of energy is wasted every year by light burning needlessly, contributing to your carbon footprint. Turning them off diligently will keep your carbon footprint smaller. For additional ways to reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the energy consumed for lighting, see number (4) above.

Set your thermostat a little higher in the summer and a little lower in the winter to save energy.  Typical recommendations are for a thermostat setting of 68° in the winter and 78° in the summer, but you can adjust these limits according to your comfort.

9) Be sure to have your thermostat setting much higher in summer when you are away from home to avoid cooling your home when no one is there. Similarly, in the winter, set the thermostat much lower while away from home.

10) Recycle paper, plastic, and glass diligently.

These 10 steps are easy to implement and will save you energy and money as you reduce your carbon footprint.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE Instant Access to my 7 days E-Course “How to Live Greener and Save Money” when you visit http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com This e-mail course will give you valuable tips for saving money by cutting costs for energy, water, and other items as you create a greener lifestyle.Would you like to learn how to save more than $1000 per year for life by going green? Check out my ebook “6 Weeks to a Greener LIfestyle” at http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/ebooks where you will find the details.
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Being green isn’t rocket science, follow our top tips below and help protect our world and your wallet.

1.    Did you know that your fridge wastes at least 30 kilo watts per hour of energy every month.  This is because every time you open the door all that lovely cold air escapes.  Down in the antipodeans an Australian inventor has created a top opening freezer into an incredibly efficient fridge.  It only runs for a minute or two an hour to keep its temperature, this is because gravity leaves the cold air inside even if you leave the door wide open.  Now we need a clever designer to build one where we can access all the food inside easily, sliding doors could be perfect for this.

2.    The average temperature of a house today is 22C, in the 1950’s it used to be 18C.  It seems our expectations are to happily walk around our house in t-shirts and socks.  An extra layer and some warm slippers will not only help our environment but also our wallet.  If you turn down your heating by 1 degree you will save yourself 3% of heating costs.  Bring the temperature back down to 18C and you will save over 10% on your heating bills.

3.    Are you thinking of upgrading to a large new flat screen TV?  Well make your choices carefully as these new high definition televisions will certainly give a boost to your electricity bill.  On a national level the huge use of these energy hungry televisions is becoming a growing concern.  Look out for energy efficient stars and do your research before you get landed with a surprisingly large energy bill.

4.    A limited number of different grants and subsidies are available from local and central government offices which are designed to help reduce energy bills in both domestic and business properties.  Research on the internet or talk to a local supplier and you may be pleasantly surprised how cost efficient some of these environmental innovations will be.  

5.    Cleaning products not only cost money but can often create a toxic environment for you to live in.  There are many fantastic alternatives with recipes that include baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar amongst others.  To sweeten the smell of some of these cleaners add a drop or two of your favourite essential oil.  

6.    Draft proof your house, you are paying good money to warm that air so don’t let it escape.  You could be losing up to 25% of your energy out through those tiny gaps in the windows and doors.  It is not a difficult job to do for a novice DIY or call in the experts and you will save money and your CO2 emissions.

7.    Lastly remember to turn off all your electrical from their standby mode.   In the UK studies have estimated that 7% of our total power consumption is attributed to appliances left on standby.

Follow these simple tips and you will find your energy bill dropping substantially in the future, not only kind on your wallet but helping keep our world a safe place for future generations.

Anna Barrington writes for new homes cornwall property developers Percy Williams and Sons Limited. Cornwall house for sale showcases their latest eco homes in Hayle.

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Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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