Monday, August 18
Today’s Tip: Take a look at your lifestyle and find places to save energy.
This week “The Green Zone” takes you into the world of electrical gadgetry with tips and tricks for saving electricity. It doesn’t take a huge effort or sacrifice to save significant amounts of money on electric bills every month.

Look at your lifestyle and the things you use around the house every day. Do they really need to be on all the time? Can you do the various things you do on a daily basis in a different way that uses less electricity? All it takes is a commitment to begin paying attention to the many small energy-draining details that can make a noticeable difference in your overall energy usage.

Be especially smart when it comes to purchasing new gadgets and appliances. Make your first priority energy smart, and you’ll go a long ways toward saving money and lessening your carbon footprint.
Be mindful with each flick of a switch. It’s a lesson well learned.

Tuesday, August 19
Today’s Tip: Cook smart.
Start with meal preparation. If you’re reheating yesterday’s leftovers, consider using your microwave. The microwave will save as much as 40% in electricity costs and takes considerably less time than heating your leftovers on top of the stove.

If you’re only preparing meals for one or two people, use the small burners on your stovetop. They use less energy than big burners, and your food shouldn’t take any longer to heat. If you want to save even more, get a meal started in your crockpot before heading off to work. That way, your food will be ready to eat when you get home, saving you a considerable amount of electricity in the process.

Wednesday, August 20
Today’s Tip: Be smart about climate control.
Setting your thermostat a little lower in winter and a little higher in summer can save significant sums of money and energy. This is especially true if you’re going to be out of the house for any length of time during the day. Even a few degrees up or down can save more than $100 a year on heating and cooling costs, according to calculations by the Alliance to Save Energy.

So, pay attention to your thermostat. Try putting on a sweater to warm up when the temps cool outside; and shed layers in summer when it’s hot, instead of cranking up the air conditioning. Let’s get a little tougher and not act so spoiled when it comes to creature comforts.

Thursday, August 21
Today’s Tip: Be energy smart when it comes to using your computer and cell phone.
You don’t always have to save huge amounts of energy to see a drop in your electric bill. For instance, just leaving your computer monitor on all the time can cost you nearly $18 a month—that’s approximately 60 cents a day! If you leave your cell phone and battery charger plugged in, you’ll pay $1.50 a day for the privilege. That might not seem like much, but small things like this represent a giant energy drain on the country when combined, to the tune of more than $8 billion a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Use a Smart Strip to automatically shut-off these “vampire current” stealing devices. Smart Strips are available at Home Depot and many local hardware stores for about $30. They pay for themselves within six weeks.

Friday, August 22
Today’s Tip: Be energy-smart when it comes to laundering your clothes.
The washing machine is an excellent place to realize significant savings. It used to be that laundry needed to be washed in hot or warm water to kill germs. But with advances in laundry soaps and detergents, most clothes get just as clean and are just as germ-free when washed in cold water. Not heating large quantities of water can save you a considerable amount of money each month. You’ll save even more if you hang your clothes out to dry instead of putting them in a clothes dryer. And sunshine is a natural disinfectant.

So be energy-smart about laundering your clothes, and save money as well as lessening your carbon footprint.