Daily Home Renovation Tips

Editor’s Note: To view the 500+ different energy and water conservation tips for the home we have collected, simply access our free home Energy Savings and Water Savings Guide, 2nd Edition

Yesterday we began to review the energy and water conservation tips which are both more long term in nature and which impact all energy and water sources consumed in the home.

Today we continue our review of these money savings tips.

Number 5, Monitor Utility Bills for Conservation Progress. What gets measured gets done. It really is that simple.

How do you know if you are making progress on your household’s energy and water conservation efforts unless you get into the habit of actually looking at your monthly electric, natural gas, home heating oil and clean water utility bills?

Compare the amount used in the current month to that consumed last month as well as, if provided on your utility bill, the amount used in the same month last year. Look at the amount consumed rather than the amount you pay as rates can change from one month to the next or from one year to the next.

If you are not making as much progress as you would like in reducing your household’s utility bills, then consult our Un-Official Guide to Home Energy & Water Conservation and start to use more of the money savings ideas included therein.

As well, it is not just on your electric, home heating and water utility bills which provide the amount of non-renewable resources consumed in your household. You can purchase various devices which can measure on a real time basis which provide more timely and possibly feedback.

The device we are trying in our house at the moment is the PowerCost Monitor which provides real time and easily understood information about a home’s electricity usage, both in quantity consumed and in $$ based on your actual utility’s rates. You can read here about our take on the product so far and its easy installation.

Number 6, Participate in Earth Hour. Relatively new, we have started to hear and be asked to turn off all the lights in our home for one hour in the evening once per year. What a great way to reinforce to our children this concept and their parent’s support for energy conservation in their own home. Plus, think of the money you save by having no lights, etc. on for the hour.

The link to the Earth Hour web site is over on the left in our Energy Conservation Sites blog roll.

Number 7, Participate in Earth Day. What is better than turning off the lights for one hour once a year? What about participating in an entire day of energy conservation and reduction activities? Again, focusing on energy conservation for an entire day will reduce the amount of money you pay for that month’s electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, etc. bills.

Here is the link to the main Earth Day site.

Number 8, Personal Earth Day Once A Week. What a great idea submitted to us in our last energy conservation contest. If practicing serious energy (and water, right? ) conservation for a full day is better than for just one hour, then practicing serious energy and water conservation for one day every week has to be better still … 52 time better than one day per year if my math is correct.

And, this goes to what I have written about before in that we are all creatures of habit and how reducing the amount of electricity, home heating, clean water, etc. natural resources we consume is in large part about having the right habits which cost nothing yet are simple to do.

Next time, more long term energy and water conservation tips.