With gas prices so high and growing all the time, I added the category-GASOLINE. This category will have helpful hints on reducing the amount of money going into your gas tank. How does it relate to reducing utility bills? It is a little of a stretch, but you can use the money you save at the gas pump to pay your reduced utility bills!
As much as everyone is concerned about reducing their utility bills for financial and environmental reasons, gasoline prices are at the top of the list for current financial concerns for most people. It is of major concern not only due to the cost of filling up the tank on a vehicle, but the effects of cost of everthing from milk to jewelry since it is transported by trucks that use gasoline.
The green house effect is well publicized. Carbon Dioxide (from exhaling, vehicle exhaust, etc) makes air heavier. When exposed to a light or heat source, it will heat up faster and maintain the higher temperatures longer than air higher in oxygen. This information can be used to reduce utility bills.
In your own little corner of the world, you can clean up the air with your landscaping. Plants use carbon dioxide, converts it to oxygen, and then releases it into the environment.
Here are a few ways to use landscaping to reduce utility bills:
- Around the house have plants that produce shade (especially on south and west sides of the house).
- Use plants with low water needs. Some shrubs and trees may need regular watering for the first two years while they become established.
- Pick shrubs and trees that can be cut back or shed their leaves in the winter so they don’t interfere with the sun warming the house.
- Trees that are used as a wind block should be evergreen to protect from cold winter winds.
- Use mulch or ground cover to slow down the rate soil dries out.
The increased oxygen in the air around the house from vegetation will help maintain lower air temperatures around the house. The shade from shrubs and trees will protect the house from the heat of the summer sun. Harvesting rainwater can help reduce the costs of watering the plants.
There are several posts on drying clothes on a clothes line. The benefits to doing this not only reduce utility bills, but also is good for the environment because of the reduced energy use. There are a few bonus benefits as well.
Today when I took down clothes drying on the line there was a nice breeze blowing towards my back door. As soon as I walked out the back door I could smell the clean clothes. There is nothing like that smell! When the clean scent first hit me, it didn’t matter about the environment or the financial savings, it was worth hanging my clothes on a clothes line just for the scent!
When the weather isn’t too uncomfortably hot, it is very relaxing to hang up clothes and take them down. This is another bonus benefit of line dried clothes.