Green Home Energy Savers

Just a few energy saver projects this week. When peak summer and winter electric bills come in I always get on a kick like this. I am going through a big box of goodies sent to me by a great sustainable goods company called Practecol. You can find their products at Target starting this month.

I started with a big energy hog… my bad ass pink computer. This lovely lady was custom built for me (she whose fingers are lightning fast and must have a computer that is equally fast) and is attached to other gadgets like a high speed router, HD monitor, iPod, printer, back-up hard drive, speakers, etc.

All the cords were plugged into a Foot Switch – 6 Outlet Surge Protector.

Nice bit kind of ugly… so I pushed all the cords behind the desk and left out the Foot Switch.

Nice! This product was made to help reduce energy costs by allowing you too turn off power going to all electronic products at once AND make the area less cluttered looking by giving you the nifty foot switch. And not having to reach down under the desk each night to flip the switch is nice. The foot switch has a green light that you can see in the dark so when all is shut down you just tap the switch with your foot and go to bed. Viola! Practecol estimates a savings of $84/year by cutting standby power to power sucking electronics. Even though I am good about turning stuff off, the groovy green light is a reminder for me to flip that last switch.

Next up I put the Practecol dryer balls to use. I have used dryer balls before, though not in awhile. Here they are posing next to my husband’s stinky and not-so eco friendly dryer sheets. Aren’t they pretty?

These heat-resistant dryer balls lift and separate your clothes to better circulate heat, reducing drying time and lowering energy costs. The company estimates that these save you 15% (or $20 per year) on energy costs. If you currently use dryer sheets, then the savings would be more.