My Green Tips

I recently peeked up in my attic to find some disturbing things. The insulation was ripped off the duct work and there was a hole in the duct from one of the previous owners crawling over it. The previous owners had moved phone lines around and added recessed lighting in one of the bathrooms and never put the insulation back so there we several spots that had no insulation. On top of that someone in the past had paid someone to blow extra insulation in the attic but the contractor only blew insulation around where you could see when you stuck your head up there.

I repaired the ducts and wrapped them with foil faced insulation from Home Depot which made an immediate difference since I wasn’t heating the attic anymore.

I started looking for deals on insulation and doing a little research on how much insulation should be up there. For my area (Chicago) most recommendations were between R-38 and R-50 in the attic. You can lookup your recommended R-values here. I found a rebate on insulation and ended up adding R-25 on top of what was already there which got me to about R-50. It took me one day to roll out a whole layer of insulation up there. It wasn’t very much fun because it’s a real tight space and I definitely recommend getting the encapsulated stuff if you are doing it yourself so you don’t get covered in fiberglass. But the difference was immediate, no more cold and drafty areas upstairs and the next months heat bill had a nice surprise. Although it was colder in December 2007 than it was in 2006 my Natural Gas usage dropped nearly 30% which lead to a nice savings.

Adding insulation to your home can be an easy weekend project which will conserve energy and conserve some cash. I spent about $400 on insulation and saved $60 on my first month’s gas bill. The insulation will more than pay for itself in a few months and will continue to save me money in heating and cooling bills for as long as I own the home.

Here’s some additional reading on the benefits of insulating you home better: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

I also recommend watching the newspaper or checking online for rebates or sales. I’ve see deals for rolls of insulation at buy one get on free. Some power and gas companies offer rebates and you may be eligible for a tax credit for the money you spend on adding insulation to your home.

Remember when McDonald’s stopped using Styrofoam containers? This was a big win for the environment.

But there are still some major offenders. Dunkin Donuts and their styrofoam cups add millions of styrofoam cups to landfills everyday. In December of 2004 Fast Company reported that Dunkin Donuts was serving over 2.8 Million cups a day.

Styrofoam cups also have potential health hazards. Styrene is transferred from the cups into your coffee. The health affects are not fully known at this time but adding chemicals to your food and drinks is usually not a good idea.

So what can you do?

• Avoid/boycott places that use styrofoam.
• Use a refillable cup. Most places will give you a discount for bringing your own cup.

I used to get coffee from Dunkin Donuts almost everyday. I bought one of the refillable cups and used it for about a year. The refill price was almost half the price of a regular cup. They jacked the refill price up and I abandoned ship and went to Starbucks. I reuse their paper cups and get $0.55 refills. If I rinse and dry the cup right away I can make it about a week on one paper cup before it starts to leak.

So not only can you save some money but you can help make the earth a better place to live for future generations at the same time!