I’ve tried a new experiment this year with my home thermostats and my heating and cooling. I’ve kept my heat off during the days that are seemingly between seasons where maybe I could use the heat, but I let the day’s sun light heat the house enough so I’m not using additional natural gas to heat my home. I’m doing the same thing with the air conditioner. Instead of turning it on and off or switching back and forth between heat on cooler days or air conditioning on warmer days, I’m leaving them both off. I can really see the difference in my power bill and on my VA Natural Gas bill. So far, it’s working out very well. You might try it as well.

1 Thing, it’s something we can all do to help the environment.  My latest 1 Thing, automatically adjusting my thermostat to reduce electricity and natural gas costs is working.  I’m noticing both my electricity and my natural gas bills are lower this year versus last year.  I drop my house temperature down four degrees when I go to work and leave it down all day until we are home again in the evening.  I’ve also turned down the setting on my hot water heater so I’m not keeping the hot water as hot.  Sometimes we fail to remember that the hot water heater is keeping the water hot all the time, even when we’re not home or on vacation.  I’m a fan of the budget plan at Dominion Power.  That keeps my electricity bill the same all year instead of really low in the winter and really high in the summer.  You might check into it and let us know about your 1 Thing. 

It’s a new year and time for us all to find new ways to do our “1 Thing” for the environment.  It’s the little things that really add up and if we’re each doing something to help our planet, it can make a big difference collectively.  In our family, we have two cars and we’re driving both less.  Each time the need to drive arises; I say to myself “Is this trip necessary?” and “Can it wait until later?” when the need for other short car trips arises.  We’re driving the one that gets the better gas mileage more.  This saves us money and is using less fuel.  We’re also making our cars last longer by not driving them as much as we did in the past.  They’re lasting longer and we’re making them last longer.  This too saves us money.  What’s your 1 Thing?

 

I continue to find new ways to conserve energy, resources and save money. Lately, I’ve been trying to do a better job by buying only the groceries that I know our household will eat, especially before some foods spoil. We’re trying hard not to waste any food. Sometimes that means going to the store a little more often, but we are certainly making the most of what we purchase. I find we’re saving money on groceries and throwing away less food that gets old or spoils. 

 

My “1 Thing” to help the environment is actually a few things. I continue to work on new ways to do my part in order to help the environment and ways to save money where I can. In the past month, I turned down the temperature on my hot water heater so no one can burn themselves and so it uses less natural gas, thus saving me money on my monthly bill. I also installed programmable thermostats on my HVAC system and now the temperature raises or lowers depending on the time of year when no one is home. I’m also doing my best to run the major appliances during non-peak hours which includes the dishwasher and the clothes washer and dryer. I’ve been diligent about replacing my HVAC filters too so the system doesn’t have to work as hard and there’s less dust in the house. I hope to see a reduced cost on my utility bills and when I’m using less energy. It feels good knowing I’m helping the environment. What’s your “1 Thing”?

 As our long, hot summer draws to a close; it’s time to start making those plans for back to school. Today, we would like to make available Dr. Lisa Hark’s advice on the ABC’s of back-to-school nutrition for parents and children. “Learning to enjoy nutritious foods and be physically active in fun ways are life lessons that parents can teach their children to help them develop healthy habits they will carry through their school years and on into adulthood,” Lisa advises.