- Appliances: use less power
- Beware vampire appliances
- Commercial building energy assessments
- Commercial building incentives
- Common mistakes
- Gifts that save energy all year
- Heating and coolling savings
- Holiday lighting: festive & efficient
- Insulation types: pros & cons
- Kitchens: ways to save
- Lower your utility bills
- Path to Energy Efficiency
- Programmable Thermostats
- Radon: test after energy upgrade
- Refrigerator: retire for quick payback
- Resolutions to conserve energy and save money
- Seal duct leaks
- Stack Effect Influences Energy Use
- Systems in house work together
- Wash clothes in cold water
- Water heating bills
- Where to make home improvements
- Windows: repair, don't replace
Gifts that will save you energy all year
Your Path to Energy Savings
By Shawn Lindabury, Special to The Ithaca Journal
December 13, 2010
This holiday season buy your friends and family gifts that will save them money, will make their homes more safe and comfortable -- and are kind to the environment. Energy saving gifts are a great alternative to presents that require lots of energy to produce, transport, wrap, and eventually throw away.
Make up a basket of household items ranging from edible treats to practical items and include a couple of compact-fluorescent light bulbs. Bundle a kilowatt meter and a smart power strip. A kilowatt meter shows how much energy appliances are using and which ones are sucking power even when they are turned off. A smart power strip automatically cuts power to devices like TVs, DVD players, and video games that steal electricity in this way.
A gift certificate toward a home energy assessment could get a family member on the path to energy savings. A donation made in someone's honor to the Finger Lakes Climate Fund will provide energy efficiency upgrades to local low-income housing. A membership to Ithaca Carshare, a TCAT bus pass or a gift certificate for a bicycle tune-up supports using less energy for transportation.
A can of spray foam insulation and some pipe insulation along with an offer to help weatherize a friend's house is a great way to make a meaningful difference that lasts all year long. Don't know how to weatherize? Pick up a free CD that is packed full of how-to instructions on home energy savings from Tompkins County Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave in Ithaca. Learn along with your friend or give a gift to yourself by practicing on your own home first. In fact, a home energy saving CD can be packaged with any gift or used as a stocking stuffer. Go green this holiday season and help your loved get on the path to energy savings.
