Tips for Living Smarter
Choose green every day. From lowering your utility bills, preserving natural resources and enjoying cleaner air—these simple tips will make your life more sustainable.
Lighting
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones, which use 66% less energy
- Install dimmer switches
- Match bulb wattage to the lighting task
- Install low voltage lamps for task or mood lighting
Air conditioning & heating
- Select an air conditioning unit with a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 13
- Install a programmable thermostat with time and temperature settings
- Set your thermostat at 68° in the daytime and 55° at night; in the summer, keep it at 78°
- Change or clean air filters monthly to improve airflow
- Keep air conditioner coils clean and straight
- Schedule a tune-up annually to check refrigerant level and to lubricate fans and motors
Decorating
- Protect home furnishings from harmful UV rays with spectrally selective glass windows, which are included in every Pardee home
- Use blinds and outside shade screens on south and southwest facing windows
- Line curtains and drapes with a white backing to help reflect the sun's rays
Water heater
- Drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that prevents heat transfer and lowers the unit's efficiency
- Take showers instead of baths, which use 5 to 10 gallons more hot water
- Consider replacing your water heater with a tankless water heater that heats water only as needed
Refrigerator
- Replace your older, conventional refrigerator with a new Energy Star® model that uses 15 to 40% less energy
- Check the seal around the door by closing it on a dollar bill and gauging how easily the dollar pulls out
- Avoid crowding food items, which could obstruct air circulation
- Cover liquids and wrap foods before storing them in the refrigerator
- Replace paper wrappings with aluminum foil or plastic wrap
- Regularly vacuum the refrigerator coils on the back or bottom of the unit
Oven & Stove
- Preheat ovens only when necessary as when baking breads or pastries
- Stagger pans along the upper and lower racks to improve air flow
- Don't lay foil across the racks
- Make sure the oven door is tight; adjust or replace gaskets as required
- Reduce the oven temperature by 25°F when using glass or ceramic pans
- Avoid opening the oven door to preview the food; watch the clock or use a timer instead
- Use a toaster oven or microwave oven to cook small meals
- Use the self-cleaning feature of your oven immediately after regular baking while the oven is still hot
- Keep stove-top burners and reflectors clean to better reflect the heat
- Use only flat-bottomed pans that make full contact with the element
- When cooking with a gas burner, make sure the pilot light is burning efficiently, with a blue flame not a yellowish flame; use a moderate setting
Clothes dryer
- Check the outside dryer exhaust vent periodically to make sure it closes tightly, preventing the exchange of indoor and outdoor air
- Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation
- Dry only full loads, but do not overload the dryer
- Dry similar types of clothes together since lightweight synthetics dry more quickly than fabrics made from natural fibers
- Dry two or more loads in a row, taking advantage of retained heat
- Use the cool-down cycle to allow clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer
Conserve indoors
- Take 5-minute showers instead of baths
- Rinse vegetables in a filled sink rather than under running water
- Run only full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer
- Use flow restricted plumbing fixtures and toilets, standard in Pardee homes
- Use your garbage disposal less and a compost pile or garbage can more
- Turn off the water when you wash dishes by hand
- Use the proper water level for a smaller load of clothes
Conserve outdoors
- Use native vegetation that will thrive in your climate
- Adjust your irrigation timers in the fall as days begin to shorten
- Turn your sprinklers off on rainy days
- Set your lawn mower blades one notch higher because longer grass means less evaporation
- Use a broom instead of a hose to clean paved areas
- Use drip emitters and a multi-programmable irrigation clock to limit water consumption
- Water during the cool times of the day, preferably in the morning and on less windy days
- Irrigate in short increments, allowing water to soak into the soil to reduce run-off
- Use an insulated cover over your pool to reduce evaporation
- Take your car to a commercial car wash that recycles its wash water
Getting started
- Make recycling convenient with under-cabinet bins in the kitchen and office
- Check with your local service department to see if curbside recycling is offered or where the nearest recycling center is located
- Compress tins and plastic bottles to fit more recycled materials in the bin
Getting creative
- Start a compost pile for yard or food waste
- Mulch your garden with lawn and hedge clippings or shredded newspapers
- Pack your lunch or snack in reusable containers
- Re-use washed sandwich bags rather than plastic wrap
- Donate old magazines to your doctor or dentist's office
- Choose products that are biodegradable or made from recycled materials
- Re-use scrap paper for writing notes
- Carry your own shopping bags to the grocery store
- Buy concentrated products which use less packaging
- Buy rechargeable items instead of disposable ones
- Contact a local charity to pick-up clothing and household items you no longer need
Latest Tweet
Smart Solutions Blog
Connect
