How Much Green Do You Get Going Green? The Real Savings of Environmental Friendliness
By now, most of us are aware that we’re in a real struggle to save the Earth from permanent and devastating changes. The good news is there are simple things that we can do in order to live more sustainable and environmentally friendly lives. The best part? You save money and the environment by taking action. But just how much money? In this post, we’re going to go over some of the most common ways to be more environmentally friendly along with the average amount of energy efficient savings you could earn back.
1. Commercial Energy Efficiency
Commercial energy efficiency refers to sustainable and energy efficient practices taken by businesses both large and small. Because of the large size of many buildings, offices, and businesses overall, there are ample ways to save money and the environment. For one, energy efficient buildings using CFL bulbs as opposed to traditional light bulbs can save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Specifically, for each single bulb you switch to a CFL bulb, a business saves about one dollar per month. Imagine if you replaced every bulb in a building with even just 3 floors; savings will add up very quickly. On the subject of lighting, 20% of commercial energy bills are spent on lighting. Installing motion sensors and light dimmers can cut down that 20% significantly, saving money overall. Programmable thermostats are another common energy efficiency strategy. Adjusting the temperature by just a few degrees can cut down your business’ power use by 10%. Solar energy for commercial buildings can also save you on your energy bills while using a renewable and clean energy source. It’s a win-win! Not only that, but you can receive tax credits and rebates that can cut the initial investment almost in half.
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While updating your older or non-efficient appliances will have an initial investment cost, these appliances will end up working for you and get you that money back and more with the savings they bring. The appliances that will give you the most money savings include: clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, programmable and/or smart thermostats, etc. Updating these appliances with energy efficient models will reduce your energy and power bills. Efficiency washers and dishwashers will also reduce your water use, which is noted as essential for helping to combat climate change. To put a number on these things, an energy efficient dishwasher can save on average 25 dollars per year, an energy efficient fridge can reduce energy use by 40%, and green washers can save you 50 dollars per year on both energy and water bills.
3. Eating Green
Vegan and vegetarian diets can help fight climate change by reducing the need for harmful food industry emissions and deforestation. Studies show that those on plantbased diets have a lower carbon footprint and use less water to get their food compared to traditional diets. Eating vegan or vegetarian can also save you money! While fancy vegan cheese and faux meats are expensive, if you avoid those and stick with other plant-based foods, it’s less expensive overall. One blogger found they could eat a filling and delicious vegan diet for only 25 dollars per week (compared to the average of 50-100 dollars per month on other diets). Even just opting for three meatless meals per week can reduce a family’s food bills by $1,500 dollars every year!
4. Go Paperless
The paper industry is ranked as the third largest polluter of all the world’s industries. Back to our commercial energy efficiency point above, a business with only 8 employees could save 10,000 dollars every year by going paperless! And if you choose individually to go paperless on bills and other mail, many banks and loan servicers will reduce your interest rate or cut some billing fees. These are just four of the hundreds of ways you can live a more sustainable and green life. If these four things can each save you hundreds of dollars on energy efficient savings, think of how much money you could save by applying even more green initiatives into your life? Recycling never looked so good!
Sources https://comelectrical.com/project-cat/energy-efficiency/ https://comelectrical.com/service/energy-efficiency/ http://energyusecalculator.com/electricity_cfllightbulb.htm https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/thermostats https://www.thebalancesmb.com/save-money-with-solar-energy-for-your-business-4108504 https://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/help-and-advice/read/how-does-saving-water-help-the-environment200100000002621 https://www.energysage.com/energy-efficiency/costs-benefits/energy-star-rebates/ https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49238749 https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/environment/water-requirements http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/10/12/vegetarian-diet-savings/ https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjkxzq/vegan-diet-25-dollars-a-week https://www.meatlessmonday.com/articles/cutting-meat-boosts-cash/ https://www.signority.com/blog/green-revolution-go-paperless/ https://www.signority.com/blog/green-revolution-go-paperless/
