There are hundreds, even thousands of articles on the web about how to green your home. The problem is, most of these articles are geared towards home-owners. For those of you who live in an apartment or are unable to make major improvements these articles are close to useless. Luckily, there are still many ways for renters to green their home and save money doing so.
Plants
House plants help naturally filter the air giving a fresher, cleaner environment while balancing indoor humidity. So not only will your seasonal allergies take a hit but you’ll be able to adjust your thermostat a degree or two and save electricity.
Window garden
Without a yard to grow vegetables some might just give up; however, many common vegetables and herbs are able to grow indoors with enough sunlight–and even more with southern exposure. You’ll save money and help the environment by less trips to the market.
Change Your Air Filter
By changing your furnace/AC filter monthly you’ll keep it running efficiently and keep the dust out of the air. You’ll save money and breath better.
68/78 degrees
During the winter months keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower and 78 degrees or higher during the summer months. Each degree is worth 3% of energy used, so the more you can stand the heat/cold the better.
Use a fan
Fans don’t cool the air by themselves, but what they can do is help you feel cooler. This will help you raise the thermostat a few degrees higher and lower your energy bill.
Kill the vampire electronics
Vampire electronics can be up to 30% of your electricity. What are vampire electronics? They are televisions, DVD players, cable boxes, and even cell phone chargers not in use but are still using electricity. You can solve this by hooking them up to a power strip and simply turning it off before you go to bed or head off to work–unplugging them works just as well, only more of a hassle.
Use your dishwasher
Although dishwashers use both electricity and water, it is important to take care of the near-future first. Dishwashers use substantially less water than hand-washing. Hey, it is easier anyway and doesn’t take as much of your time. Just be sure to keep it on air-dry instead of heat-dry to save a little bit of electricity and only turn it on when it is full. If you don’t have a dishwasher, just be sure to plug up the drain and don’t keep the water constantly running while washing.
Use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs
By just replacing three light-bulbs you can save up to $60/year and stop 300lbs of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Showering
Take shorter showers and install a low-flow showerhead. The average showerhead uses 2-4 gallons of water per minute. By shortening your showertime by just 1 minute, you’ll save at least 730 gallons of much needed water (enough for one person to live on for 4 years). By shortening your shower by 1 minute and using a lowflow-showerhead (one that uses 2 gallons or less) you’ll save a heck of a lot more. You can find a lowflow showerhead for as little as $16.
Install a dual-flush pump
Most renters don’t allow their tenants to install new toilets, but what you can do is install a dual-flush pump to help conserve water. A dual-flush pump will allow you to flush your liquids away with half as much water while giving you the choice to use a full-flush for solids. You can find these from anywhere from between $30 and $60 and are easy to install.
Save bathroom sink water
No, I’m not going to tell you not to wash your hands. But what you can do is use less water to do so and less while brushing your teeth and shaving. While shaving, plug up the sink and give yourself just an inch or two to do the work. For brushing, turn off the water until you are finished. Also, you don’t need the faucet on all the way while washing your hands. Turn it about half-way instead and it should be more than enough pressure to do the job.
Water heater
Keep your waterheater no higher than 120°F. Anything hotter is a waste of electricity.
Written: Mar 17, 2009
Andrea
March 18, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
A regular toilet is not designed to flush paper and solid waste with reduced amounts of water, so the likelihood of clogging or having to flush twice after installing a dual flush conversion kit increases. Standard US toilets clear the bowl with siphon technology, so the diameter of the trap way has to be a small as possible (please view siphon vs. washdown technology here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z6pymOet7g&feature=channel_page.) If you are serious about saving water, want a toilet that really works and is affordable, I would highly recommend a Caroma Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5” trap way, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_het.htm and also qualify for several rebate programs currently available throughout the US as well as LEED points. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli
Gary R. Hess
March 18, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
The half-flush does have a problem with flushing toilet paper, but the point of using it is for after urinating–even females use very little toilet paper afterwords. Thus, it won’t clog. I have never heard of any problems with using half-flush after urinating and full-flush for your #2s.
Also notice this article is for apartment renters who generally aren’t allowed to change out toilets, thus the toilet you mentioned isn’t an option.