Simple Steps to Green your Pasadena Home and your Wallet – Part 3 – Pasadena Views Real Estate Team

Over the last couple of days, we shared with you tips that Pasadena home owners can take to save energy, help the environment and add some green to your wallet.

Today, the focus is on the Kitchen and Appliances in your home.

Use Your Appliances Wisely

Peak running hours for appliances are between 4 pm and 6 pm. Help prevent electricity outages by avoiding running your appliances during these hours.
Turn your water heater down to 120°F or the “normal” setting when home, and to the lowest setting when away. Bundle up your water heater, especially if it’s located in an unheated part of the house.

If a family of four replaces their 3.5 gallon-per-flush toilet (pre- 1994) with a WaterSense-labeled toilet, they could save $90 a year and as much as $2,000 over the toilete’s life.

Do your laundry efficiently by running the washer only when it’s full, and by using the warm or cold water setting for washing your clothes. Always use cold water to rince closthes. About 90% of the energy used by a clothes washer goes to heat the water.

If all Californians replaced their inefficient clothes washers with energy-efficient ones, it would be the equivalent of taking 30,000 cars off the road.

Line dry clothes whenever you can.
When you need to use the dryer, run full loads, use the moisture-sensing setting, and clean the clothes dryer lint trap after each use.
Ensure the dryer vent to the outside of your Pasadnea home is clean of lint as well.

Kitchen

Run the dishwasher only with a full load.
Did you know thta the dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand? Let dishes air-dry to save even more!

If Californians replaced their inefficient dishwashers with energy-efficient ones, it would be the equivalent of taking 62,000 cars off the road.

Nothing is more energy-efficient for cooking than your microwave. it uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.
Don’t preheat or “peek”inside the oven more than necessary.
Check the seal on the oven door, and replace it if it;s not sealing completely.
Stocking lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open so your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool. If you are going on vacation, you can fill your fridge with gallons of water.
Unplug or recycle that spare refrigerator inthe garage if you don’t really need it. This can save you up to $150 per year! PG&E, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and many utility providers have rebate programs.
Replace an old refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR® model.
Refrigerators with a top or bottom freezer design can save you an additional 2 to 3 percent on your bill compared with a side-by-side refrigerator.