10 Easy Steps to Greening Your Home

Everyone wants to do their part in greening their home, but investing in new equipment might not be an immediate answer, here are some pointers that can be done while saving up for your next Eco Showerheads or Energy Smart Meters.

1. Start recycling - Newspapers not brought to reclycling centers will not be recycled. By doing our share in giving all paper products for recycling, we are giving them a second life (or even more) by becoming something else. Do not just stop on Newspapers, look for old bottles and the likes.

2. Start Segregating Waste - Segregate food and biodegradable products from those that can be recycled, and those that just can't. food can become compost and fertilize gardens, and money can be made from recyclable items (aluminum cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper).

3. Go LED or CFL - If you have not done this yet, then it is not too late to go to the nearest hardware and change all incandescent to CFL or LED. they are cheap and pay themselves off in a few short months.

4. Clean your Aircon and Ref - Ensure that all coils of your air conditioner and back of the ref is well ventilated and clean. Excessive amounts of dust and dirt makes them inefficient in transferring heat to the outside, and keeping inside cool.

5. Better Clean than Mask - Rather than having the need to use aerosol air fresheners or the likes, clean the house well enough to remove such need. You will find yourself in a more pleasant state. If possible, use incense sticks or oil lamps over aerosols. They last longer and have a more refreshing scent. Just make sure not to keep them in a fire hazard area.

6. Use Alternative Cleaning Agents- Bleaches and other cleaners are not good for the environment, especially when later flushed down the sewer. If possible, look for eco friendly cleaning products that use Bio Enzymes and alternative cleaning materials (using vinegar and the likes).

7. Open lots of windows - Opening windows during the day is not only healthy, as air is circulated, but it also cools the house with the natural breeze. Just make sure you are not residing near a polluted area.

8. Let light in - Keeping windows open lets light in, reducing the need to use lamps or similar items indoors. Save lighting when there is natural daylight from outside.

9. Throw away old carpets - Dirty carpets are terrible things to keep at home. They invite mold and keep toxins. If possible, use hemp floor rags or natural wooden flooring (bamboo is best).

10. Turn the thermostat - Many find it a good idea to keep aircon thermostat at Max. when not necessary. The ideal room temperature (and healthy) is 24 to 26 degrees. Try to keep rooms at this temperature. Also try using water at 1 to 2 degrees colder than usual. It is not uncomfortable at all and yet saves a lot of money in the process.

Little changes in habit and minor adjustments to what we do can go a very long way.

Truths On LED Bulbs

Many have been recently promoting LED bulbs as the next green bulb of the future, and rightfully so. LED bulbs do not contain mercury, and can last up to 100,000 hours of lamp life. LED also has the distinctive advantage of not flickering, one of the major causes of migraine and fatigue in the workplace. Workplaces found to be using incandescent or halogen have found better productivity due to this, but are not economical. This is where LED have shown some powerful advantage.

But just because the bulb is LED does not mean to say it is environmental. There have been many LED bulbs now being sold or distributed using regular LED bulbs over the supposed bulbs. Others claim to be using CREE LED bulbs when the driver is not of proper quality. What would this all mean to the user? A useless bulb.

The current most efficient LED bulbs in production has a lumens per watt of 105, the same as that of CFL. It is truly no different compared to regular CFL bulbs, and even with 5 times the lifespan (assuming the LED driver is of good quality), the cost of using LED will not be realized.

LED do well in replacing fluorescent, where half of its illumination is on the ceiling, losing up to 70% of its illumination. LED has solved this issue by having only the bottom half of its tube filled with LEDs, giving the same illumination to that of T5 at half the required power.

But as previously stated, several factors should be looked into before purchasing the bulb. Get good information on the LED bulbs being used. Choose highly reputated LED bulbs and check their lumens per watt to ensure that they are indeed very efficient. Also make sure that the LED driver being used is of sound quality. There is also a strong issue on the heat sink. While LEDs do not produce as much heat, it still needs a good heat sink to ensure the product will last long.

Lastly, do the mathematical computation on amount of time needed to run the bulb. Compare savings against lifespan and review if the ROI is feasible. Many companies now are willing to replace LED bulbs for free provided they get a share of the savings. Others will find this feasible.

There are indeed many areas and avenues where LED is a better lighting illumination, but with the cost of the bulb, it is best to ensure this investment is definitely worth the money. Besides, a bulb that does not last long is also an environmental hazard. The longer a bulb lasts, the lower its carbon footprint.