Day one was super easy, you didn’t have to spend any money or any extra time. How quick was your shower? This is something I’m still working on, and I’ve put a clock where I can see it from the shower to help.

Day two is going to be just as easy.

>> Remember, these are the easy of the simple of the things you can do. Passing these next seven days will put you well on your way to a greener, healthier home and way of life. But it’s by far only a start.

Total Cost: $0

Let’s talk about lighting. Yes, you know what I’m going to say– compact fluorescents. Well, we’ll start there anyways, since you brought it up. Here’s the power difference between CFLs and regular incandescent:

Compact Fluorescent

So you can see, to get the same amount of light you will only be using less than 1/4th of the power in a CFL. Plus, during the summer months, those incandescent bulbs are just adding tons of heat to your home. 95% of the energy goes to heating the bulb. By just replacing five incandescent bulbs to CFLs, five of your most used lights, you will save about $60/year in energy costs. So they pay for themselves in two months! Plus, they last way longer.

A 5-pack of CFLs can be had at Ace Hardware for $10.

If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent bulb, it would save enough energy to light about 3 million homes for a year and save more than $650 million in annual energy costs. Think it's important now?

Another important factor in lighting is cutting the lights off when you’re not using them. It sounds so silly to tell yourself, cut off the light when leaving the room– but do it!

An even bigger part is making efficient use of our windows. Did you know that during the winter, you can help heat your home with the windows on the south side of your home? That’s because they get the most sunlight. So leave the blinds open on that side of your house (sun rises in the east, sets in the west, so you can get your bearings). During the summer, close the blinds where the sun is glaring in to prevent the heat of the sun fighting your AC system.

You also want to open those blinds to let in natural light. During the day, instead of using the overhead light, open the blinds. How many times could you have just done that instead of turning on a lamp or overhead light?

That’s all for day two! Let’s recap today’s money/energy saving tips:

  • Buy a 5-pack of CFL bulbs
  • Cut off the lights every time you leave the room
  • Use blinds and curtains to your advantage
  • Let in natural light

You’ve spent $10 that will make you $60 maybe even before the end of the year. Are we smart or what?? Keep it tuned here tomorrow for Simple Day 3 to a Greener Lifestyle.

Day One’s Cost: $10
Time: 10 minutes installing bulbs
Level of Difficulty: You’ve done it already