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Home Improvement Tips

When building your home -- or upgrading your current home -- install energy-saving windows and doors.
Upgrade to a low-flow toilet. Old toilets use 5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. New ones use 1.6 gallons.
Upgrade your washing machine. Old washing machines use 50 gallons per cycle. New ones cut it almost in half, to 27 gallons.
Upgrade your refrigerator. A bottom-freezer refrigerator, for instance, is not only cheaper to operate (a refrigerator is a major power eater for houses) but provides more interior room in a better configuration than a side-by-side.
Put in a hood fan and vent to avoid heating up the kitchen and making your AC work harder.
Renovate your home with recycled and reclaimed materials. Use reclaimed flooring, vintage light fixtures and products from recyclers.

Get the whole family involved!

Have your family establish one day each week as Energy Savers Day. Turn off TVs, computers, video games and any other electronic gadgets.
Use the time to read or play games.
Have your children research ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Many organizations feature Kids Pages on their websites.
Have a family picnic to avoid using the stove or microwave.

Other Great Ideas

Plant bamboo. Bamboo produces more oxygen and sequesters more carbon then trees. Non invasive types for Florida are available.
Buying locally grown or produced foods, whether organic or not, is a boost to local farmers and it saves on gallons of transport fuel.
Cook in bulk. If you have to heat up the oven, do it for more than one dinner and freeze meal-sized portions. This saves energy and frees up your time.
BYOB - Bring your own bag to the store.

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