Our households use up a lot of energy. Whether it is how you landscape your yard or how many appliances you have plugged in, homes are a large consumer of resources. Check out how your lifestyle heightens or lowers your carbon footprint here. Household energy use is also a result of socioeconomic privilege. If you have the privilege to cut back on your resource use or upgrade your appliances, it is meaningful to do so. As humanists, it is a commitment to ourselves, others, and future generations to live sustainably.
Why Switch Up My Lifestyle?
Homes run on energy. Likely, the energy that comes to your home in the form of electricity for your lights, refrigerator, and running water are powered by fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are detrimental to the environment and the leading cause to why our average global temperature is rising. When fossil fuels are burned, they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which trap heat. The Greenhouse Effect is why we can inhabit the Earth, without it Earth’s surface would be well below freezing.
Why are greenhouse gases bad then? Greenhouse gases are good to an extent, but up until about 150 years ago, the majority of these gases in the atmosphere were naturally occurring. Humans are putting a massive amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate. Therefore, more heat from the sun is being trapped in our atmosphere and changing our climate. You can read more about fossil fuels and how they contribute to the greenhouse effect here.
By following the steps in the next section, not only will you help our planet, you’ll also help your pocket! Conserving energy also means conserving money. Depending on the changes you make, there may be more costs upfront, but it usually pays off in the end.
How Do I Start?
When it comes to what appliances you use and your habits surrounding electricity and water, it can be easy to stick with what you know, but switching up a few of those habits can go a long way in terms of sustainability. Here are a few techniques, some simple and others more complicated, to get you started on a path where you can save Earth’s and your resources!
Electricity Saving:
Everyday Fixes:
- Swap incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs in light fixtures
- Avoid “vampire” power usage by unplugging devices, switching off power strips, and turning off desktop computers when you aren’t using them
- Wash your laundry with cold water
- Take shorter showers and/or reduce the temperature of your showers
- Turn down the thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees
- Open curtains in the morning to let daylight in and heat your house, close them at night to keep heat in
Higher-Level Fixes:
- Update appliances that are outdated, like washing machines, refrigerators, and water heaters, to improve their energy efficiency. Your energy company may even offer discounts and rebates for switching to energy-efficient appliances!
- Blow new insulation into your attic, it’ll prevent energy losses within your home much better than buying new windows because more energy is lost upward through the roof
- Install a smart meter. Smart meters can be programmed to only turn on heat or AC in certain parts of the day, which maximizes efficiency and minimizes your carbon footprint
- Install solar panels. This calculator from Google actually uses data from Google Maps to assess your home’s solar potential, as well as how much money you could save on solar.
- Use a clothesline to dry clothes rather than a dryer
- Seal cracks in your vents, wrap pipe insulation around your pipes to prevent energy loss
Water Saving:
Everyday Fixes:
- Use a dishwasher, if you own one
- If washing dishes by hand, fill up the sink or large pot and use that water for the dishes rather than leaving the faucet on for all of them
- Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth
- Reduce shower length
- Run fewer loads of laundry by re-wearing clothes and re-using towels
- Water your lawn in the early morning to reduce evaporative losses
Higher Level Fixes:
- Install low-flow showerheads and faucets
- Install low-flush toilets
- If you have a garden, install a rain barrel to capture roof and gutter runoff to use in your garden
- Utilize greywater to flush your toilets. This can work in multiple ways. An example of a simple system would be to put a 5-gallon bucket in your shower for while you’re waiting for it to warm up. Use this captured water to flush your toilets by pouring it straight into the bowl when you want to flush it, the weight of the water will flush the toilet with about 1.5-2 gallons. More complex systems that are professionally installed can actually divert water from laundry machines and other appliances for use in gardens or lawns
- Replace the traditional grass lawn with plants more appropriate to the climate. For desert climates, look into xeriscaping. For others, check what plants are native to your region and consider plants with long root systems to encourage infiltration and storage of water into the soil
Share Your Story
One of the most important things you can do to fight climate change is also one of the simplest: talk about it! Research shows that discussing the climate crisis with family and friends reinforces that the problem is real and the science unequivocal. Yet, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they rarely or never have those conversations. Share with your friends, family, and other community members about conserving household energy and the great benefits of it!
Let us know how you plan to make more sustainable life choices. Tell us what changes you will be making in the name of sustainability. Use the power of social media and personal conversation to share your progress and get others involved!
Sample Social Media Posts:
- “I just took a step to start living more sustainably by xeriscaping my yard using the #HEREforClimate Conserve Household Energy Toolkit! Check it out and learn how you can make more sustainable choices, conserve resources, and save money! [URL Link]”
- “We all have a personal responsibility to combat the global climate crisis and live more sustainably. Learn how you can take a personal action with the #HEREforClimate Composting Toolkit!”
- “The #HEREforClimate Conserving Household Energy Toolkit made it easy to start making more sustainable choices in my daily life. I just pledged to save energy in my house by checking for vampire electronics every night! Find out what else you can do with the #HEREforClimate toolkit!”
Additional Resources
More on Water Use and Conservation
- More on how to have a beautiful garden, without the high water cost here.
- Learn more about water use in America here
- Water footprint calculator.
More on Appliances and Energy Conservation
- Learn more about appliance energy use and how much it is costing you here.
- Find a purchasing guide on energy efficient appliances here.
Looking for more? Find a full list of resources regarding climate action and sustainability here.