So you want to help the environment, but do you think you don’t have enough time? Here are 10 simple things you can do in one minute that can help the environment and save you money at the same time:
1. Use half of the amount (time: none):
Try to use half of the product you use every day. Most of your everyday home products work the same way when you use half the amount you are currently using. You may consider some laundry detergent, shampoo, cleaning supplies, etc. from this method.
2. Cold/cold wash (time: less than 5 seconds):
Turning on the knob of the washing machine saves about $100 in energy costs per year. Simply move the water temperature knob to the cold/cold wash setting instead of hot/cold water. Since the maximum cost of washing clothes is heating water, cold/cold washing can save a lot.
3. Place the towel in the dryer (time: less than 15 seconds):
Go and get the most absorbent towel and place it near the dryer. Every time you put on new clothes and want to dry, you throw in a towel. This absorbent towel will reduce the time required for the entire load to dry and save about 10% of energy utilization.
4. Reduce the water heater temperature
This takes less than 5 seconds for a gas water heater – the electric water heater is much more complex and can be adjusted in a minute if you are mechanically tilted, but if you don’t, you might want to have someone do it for you): Most water heaters are hotter than they need to. Adjust the water heater to 130°F and you save 3% to 5% on every 10°F of the cost of heating water. On a gas water heater, only a temperature knob is needed to achieve this.
5. Adjust the thermostat (time: less than 10 seconds):
With the corner of summer, adjust one or two metrics on the thermostat, you can save 3% to 4% on your home’s cooling costs on each degree.
6. Turn off the water while brushing/washing (time: less than 5 seconds):
The average bathroom faucet runs at about 2 gallons of water per minute. This means that you will use about 4 gallons of water every time you brush your teeth or run your hands with a faucet. If you brush your teeth twice and wash your hands three times a day, you’ll have a total of up to 600 gallons of water per month.
7. Turn off the car engine (time: 5 seconds):
If your car is going to be idle for more than 45 seconds, turn off the engine and restart the car again when ready to move.
8. Close the cooling vents (Time: less than 5 seconds for each vent):
There is no reason to cool some parts of the house you won’t enter. Stroll around your house and close the cooling vents in all rooms where you don’t spend a lot of time. This will help your air conditioner work less (and thus save energy and money) instead of opening all the vents. Just make sure there is no temperature sensor in the room when the vents are closed.
9. Replace the light bulb (Time: each light bulb is less than 30 seconds):
If you haven’t done this yet, replace the regular bulb with a compact fluorescent lamp (CLF). CLF lasts ten times, using only 25% of the energy used by conventional bulbs. You should save about $40 in energy consumption over the lifespan of each bulb.
10. Turn off the light (time: 5 seconds):
One of the easiest ways to save money and help the environment is to simply turn off the light switch when leaving the room. When no one is present, there is no reason to keep the lighting.
It really didn’t take much time or effort to play out. In less than 10 minutes, you can make a significant contribution to the environment and save yourself some money.
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Jeffrey Strain is a freelancer whose work appears on Street.com, seekingalpha.com. In addition to writing thousands of articles, Jeffrey is a former resident of Japan, a former owner of saving advice.com and a professional digital nomad.
