Earth Day: Tips for Saving Energy

Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

One of the ways that we can all help the earth by is conserving and saving energy. Here are a few tips for saving energy that you can use in your daily life. Every little bit counts.

• Walk or bike when possible
• Instead of driving, walk or bike when you can. Not only does this help the earth, but it's also a great way to get exercise.
• Unplug appliances, tools and electronics when not in use
• Many devices continue to use power even when you're not using them. These products use electricity 24 hours a day, even when they're not "on." Unplug them to save energy. To make it easier, plug electronics into a power bar that has an off switch and turn the power bar off when you don't need it.
• Install a programmable thermostat in your home
• These thermostats automatically adjust the temperature in your home, saving you energy while keeping you feeling comfortable.
• Use energy-efficient lighting
• Old incandescent light bulbs use a great deal of electricity. Unfortunately, a lot of this energy is lost as heat, not used to provide light. Switching to more energy efficient light bulbs such as LED light bulbs will save you a significant amount of energy and money.
• An LED light bulb uses about half the electricity of a comparable CFL light bulb. The energy savings are even greater when compared to incandescent bulbs.
• Not only do LED light bulbs use less energy, but they also last much longer, so you won't need to replace them and throw the old light bulbs in the garbage, which creates waste.

How are you saving energy and helping the planet this Earth Day?