How to Cut Utility Bills by Being Green

Making your home eco-friendly not only benefits the environment, it can also save you a great deal money in the long run. Here are some energy and water conservation tips to cut down your utility bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

Superfluous Flushing

It may be a major surprise to most people but the toilet accounts for nearly half the water used in a home. Depending on the age of the toilet, the common model will use around 13 to 18 liters per flush, making it extremely uneconomical and excessive. Here are a couple ways to combat flushing all your money down the toilet:

• Replace your toilet with a modern low-flush model, which uses more than half the amount of water older versions use.
• Opt for a dual-flush system which allows you to regulate the amount water used for each flush. With this option, you can seriously cut down your water use and will eventually see the difference in your bills over the years.
• Depending on your budget, replacing or revamping may not be an option, but there are affordable (practically free) ways to reduce your toilets water usage.

You can create a water displacement device by placing a plastic container full of water or pebbles in the tank. Just ensure the device doesnt interfere with the toilets inner workings and you end up saving liters of water per flush.

Conserve While Cleaning

Showers account for the second highest water use in a home, hitting around 20%. However, theres a simple solution to cutting down the amount of water used without sacrificing precious shower time low-flow showerheads. These add-ons cut your water usage in half, and are not only cost-effective for your water bill but your electricity bill as well by reducing the amount of hot water needed per shower. A faucet aerators work similar to showerheads, and work for majority of the taps in a home. Being very affordable, these devices also cut a faucets water flow by almost 75%.

Greener Glow

While they cost more, switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) is one of the best decisions you can make to substantially reduce your electricity usage and save money. When compared to incandescent bulbs, CFLs last almost 10 times longer, use around 75% less energy, excrete 90% less heat, and provide more light per watt in comparison to incandescent bulbs. You can save over AED 100 over the lifetime of each CFL bulb.

Efficient Appliances

Dishwashers generally use less water to wash dishes compared to washing by hand. However, this option is only beneficial if the machine is fully loaded. The same applies to washing machines only wash full loads unless your machine has a small load setting.

Thirsty Gardens

A garden can require copious amounts of water, which can make a major dent in your wallet and the environment especially in a hot environment such the UAE. Invest in drought-resistant plants that thrive in hot and dry climates such as desert flowers, succulents, herbs, and cacti. If its difficult for you to part with plants that require frequent watering, plant those thirsty ones in the same area so you water them the right amount without overwatering the low-maintenance plants.

Vaporizing Pools

The temperature plays a major role in swimming pool levels, adding to the already high maintenance bill. If the weather is very hot, evaporation can be avoided by covering the pool and lower the heating levels in temperature-controlled pools. Also try to keep the water levels lower to avoid splashing.