Frugal expert's guide to green
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These days there's a lot of talk about "going green" and saving money. Some steps are easy to take and don't cost anything. Others are easy to do if you have money to spend.
The following improvements cost $55,000 (total) and save about $18,000 over 5 years. They recoup their full cost, and more, with additional time.
| Do this… | Conserves this… | Costs… | Saves... | Saves in 5 years… | ROI over 5 years |
|
It's electric! | |||||
| Install solar panels.
| Energy | $35,000-$45,000 for a 5 kW system (minus $2,000 in tax credits or so) | $600 per year in energy costs
| $3,000
| 7.9% (39.5% over 25 years but lots of good karma and positive environmental externalities) |
|
Potty mouth | |||||
| Install low flow (or composting) toilets.
| Water - The average family of 4 uses 27,000 gallons of water for toilet flushing every year. | A low-flow toilet costs about $50 more than a conventional toilet. A composting toilet costs about $1,100 more. | With a low-flow toilet, $25 per year; with a composting toilet, $43 in water costs
| $125 (low-flow), $215 (composting) | 250% (low-flow), 20% (composting) |
| Install a greywater system to recycle some of your used water from your sinks, laundry, shower, etc.
| Water | Variable (averages roughly $300) | 3,000 gallons of water per month = $5 on water bill = $60 per year | $300 ($720 over 12 year lifespan) | 100% (240% over lifespan)
|
|
Baby, it's cold outside | |||||
| If your heating equipment is over 15 years old, install a more efficient unit like a geothermal heat pump.
| Energy | Can save 30- 70% on heating and 20- 50% on cooling costs over conventional systems ($358-$1,475 per year) | $4,582.50 ($18,330 over 20 year lifespan) | 83% (333% over life)
| |
| Add insulation to your home.
| Energy | Complete insulation on a single family home averages $2,500-$5,500 | Using R-22 insulation (which is 7" deep of fiber glass or rock wool or 6" of cellulose) can save 5-25% on your heating and cooling costs ($92-458 per winter based on 2007 averages for heating oil bills). | $1,375 | 34% (pays back in as fast as 9 years)
|
| Plant trees for passive solar design.
| Energy - Deciduous trees shade your home in summer. In winter, they will lose their leaves and let sunshine. | Three 8' trees might cost $1,500 | $100-$250 in energy costs annually | $875 | 58% (pays back in about 8 years)
|
| Install Energy Star rated windows.
| Energy | $3,000-$10,000 (for a one-story single family home) | $25-$110 per year if you're replacing double paned windows, $125-450 per year if you're replacing single paned windows per year | $337.50 (replacing doubles - $2,700 over 40-year lifespan); $1,437.50 (replacing singles - $11,500 over 40-year lifespan) | 5% (41% over life) for replacements of double paned windows; 22% (177% over life) for replacements of single paned windows |
|
Vroom, vroom | |||||
| Get a high-mileage vehicle. The Toyota Prius is roughly double the average fuel efficiency in the U.S. But if you're filthy rich, might as well spring for the Tesla Roadster, right?
| Gasoline | $5,000 extra for the Prius or roughly $90,000 extra for a Tesla. | With a hybrid, 200 gallons per year at $4/gallon = $800 per year 464 gallons per year with an electric vehicle = $1,856 per year | $4,000 for a hybrid; $9,280 for an EV | 80% for a hybrid (payback of a little more than 6 years); 10% for a high-end EV (payback of 48 years)
|
|
This little light of mine | |||||
| Use LED light bulbs instead of incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulbs.
| Energy | $60/bulb | A 5-watt LED will save you roughly $375 over the course of its lifetime (compared to a 75-watt incandescent) – running 12 hours a day, it will last you 11 years. | $170 | 283% (625% over its lifetime) |
| Install photo cells or occupancy sensors to turn off lights for you when you forget.
| Energy | A manual-on occupancy sensor costs about $45. | Using 2004 average electric rates, fitting a 100-watt outdoor light bulb with a motion sensor - instead of operating it each night for 10 hours - will save about $33 per year. | $165 | 367% |
|
Think tank(less) | |||||
| Get a tankless water heater or a solar water heater. Water heating typically accounts for 14% of your energy bill (about $266 per year).
| Energy | $200-$1200 for a tankless system; $6,000-$6,500 for a solar water heater | Electric tankless water heaters generally cost 10-20% ($40 - $80/yr) less to operate than comparable tank-type water heaters. Gas savings may be about 20-40% ($50-$100/yr). | $300 for electric tankless; $375 for gas tankless; $1,330 for solar | About 48% for tankless (193% over 20-year lifespan); 22% for solar (89% over 20-year lifespan)
|
|
Waste not, want not | |||||
| Get a compost bin.
| Waste | $125-$300 | $50 in enriched soil, fertilizers, and growth enhancers every year | $250 | 118% |
| Xeriscape with native and drought resistant plants.
| Water - Most lawns need about 1 inch of water a week at minimum (which uses 620 gallons of water per 1,000 sq-ft) | At least $52 for a 1,000 sq-ft lawn in watering costs and $200 savings in maintenance costs per year | $1,260 | 42% (if you spend $3/sq-ft – pays back in less than 12 years) | |
Definitions:
- ROI stands for "return on investment." It is an assessment of whether the investment is justified by the savings it will create. In this case, we look at the ratio of savings during 5 years to the cost of the products (which are frequently one time expenditures).
- In the case that the change does not cost anything, you'll find "N/A" in the ROI column. This stands for "not applicable" because you are investing only time and brain power. You could also think of the ROI as infinite in those cases.
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Past Blog Entries
- Give green gifts
- Cutting down on plastic bags going to the dump
- How to improve your indoor air quality
- How to green your kitchen
- How to save energy around the house
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