Get your house in order!
counseled by WWF(World Wildlife Fund).
Recycle
Recycle everything you can’t reduce or reuse. Check with your local council or environmental authority to find out what and where you can recycle.
Turn it off
Turn off televisions, videos, stereos and computers when they are not in use – these appliances still use 10-60% of power even when on ‘stand by’. A power strip is a practical way to switch off VCR, TV and DVD player stand-by losses; you can cut off all 3 devices at once. Another tip to save energy: Don’t leave chargers for mobile phones plugged in when you’re not using them.
Switch to renewable energy
Buy non-polluting green electricity – electricity generated from natural sources such as solar, hydro and wind power – from your utilities company. If they don’t sell it, ask them to offer it or look for a power company that does. Find out more where can I buy clean, renewable energy for your home.
Save paper
Around the world we use 1 million tonnes of paper every day. Too much of this paper usage is wasteful and unnecessary and puts huge pressures on the environment. Find out how you can save paper.
Enjoy the sun
Turn your own home into a clean power station by fitting solar panels on the roof of your home. The electricity you generate from this alternative energy source could quickly cover the cost of installation. In some areas you may even be able to sell your excess back to the power company. Photovoltaic cells or small-scale wind power could also be an option.
Building or renovating your home?
Choose an architect who has experience designing green buildings. Today, the most energy-efficient buildings use 75% less energy than the average home, saving you a considerable amount of money. Remember, it is always easier to factor in efficiency at the beginning of construction than to add it later. Look for relevant building standards and best practice in environmental building. In the United States, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Get your house audited
Ask your local electric or gas supplier to perform an energy audit of your house or apartment. Then put the recommendations into practice. If they don’t currently offer such a service, ask them to introduce it.
Weatherize your home
Insulate your doorways and windows. Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which also allows heat to escape in winter. Stop this energy loss by filling these gaps with newspaper, beading or sealant. Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Install double pane windows to keep more heat inside your home. And remember to close your curtains at night to stop heat from escaping through your windows.
Blowing away
Turn off bathroom ventilating fans after leaving the room – these fans can blow out a house full of heated air if left on.
Safer paint
Repaint your house with latex paint instead of oil-based paint. Latex paint releases significantly fewer harmful fumes while drying.
Use water efficiently
Public water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households. Saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Turn it off
Do not let the water run while shaving, brushing teeth or washing vegetables. Reuse water from washing vegetables to water house plants.
Fix dripping taps
A tap dripping 45 times per minute wastes around 1,000 litres of water a month, the equivalent of 10 baths per year. Fix leaking taps and make sure they’re fully turned off.
Short showers are best
Take a short shower instead of a bath if possible. Make sure the water thermostat isn’t set above 60°C (140°F). Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Water-saving, low-flow shower heads deliver good performance for only half of the water use (5-7 litres per minute instead of 10-18 litres per minute; a savings of 70,000 litres over 10 years).
Flush wisely
Save water by installing 2-button double flush toilets.
Wash economically
Use your washing machine or dishwasher only when you have a full load. Use biodegradable washing powder suitable for low temperature washes and select economy programmes. Studies show that washing your clothes at 30°C (86°F) rather than 40°C (104°F) reduces electricity consumption on average by around 40%.
Hang it out to dry
Traditional clothes dryers are energy intensive. So-called “condensation” models – dryers without an exhaust tube – use even more energy. If possible, dry your clothes on a clothes line outside in the fresh air. If this is not an option, make sure your washing machine is spinning your clothes properly, reducing drying time. Drying through spinning is 20 times less energy intensive than with heat.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
If you plan on buying a washing machine, refrigerator, dishwasher or oven, choose the most energy-efficient model you can afford. They might be a little more expensive but they pay for themselves through lower energy bills. A high-efficiency refrigerator, for example, consumes around 100 kWh per year – this is 10 times less than the average consumption rate for refrigerators in the US and 4 times less than the average in the EU. In North America, look for the Energy Star label when buying new appliances. For the best energy-efficient products in Europe, visit: www.topten.info
Find out more about how you can be more energy efficient in your life.
Keep your kettle energy-friendly
When using a kettle, only boil as much water as you need. It will save electricity and boil water more quickly.
Switch off
A no-brainer. Turn off lights when you don’t need them – it saves energy … and on the electric bill!
Switch to energy-saving lamps
Replace the lights you use most with compact fluorescent lamps. They may cost more than ordinary lamps but you end up saving money because they use only around 25% of the electricity needed to provide the same light. And, they can save up to 80% on your next electric bill and last up to 8 times longer.
Make the light work for you
Have you paid attention to your light fixtures lately? Clever use of reflectors and directional lamps to get the light where you need it can save you another 50% in energy costs and improve the overall lighting of your home.
Keep your cool
Don’t leave refrigerator doors open for longer than necessary; defrost regularly and keep the fridge at the right temperature. Make sure the door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper so it is half in and half out. If you can pull the paper out easily, the hinge may need adjustment or the seal may need replacing.
Turn it down
Set the temperature on your heating system a little lower to save energy. Sometimes putting on an extra sweater is more effective and it saves you money on heating bills. By turning down your thermostat by just 1°C, you can save up to 10% per year on heating bills.
Put on a jacket
Insulate your hot water tank with an insulated jacket cover – it only costs a small amount of money and, with all the heat it traps in, it pays for itself within months.
Keep up the maintenance
Keeping your heating and air conditioning systems well maintained helps them be more efficient while reducing fuel costs. Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended.
Strengthening one’s willpower and avoiding spending time alone as recommended by the Prophet when he said “Do not spend the night alone” Ahmad 6919. 9) Following the Prophet’s aforementioned hadeeth and fast when possible, because fasting will temper one’s sexual desire and keep it under control. However, one should not overreact and swear by Allaah not to return to the act because if one does not honor one’s promise, one would be facing the consequences of not living up to one’s oath to Allaah. Also, note that medication to diminish one’s sexual desire is strictly prohibited because it might permanently affect one’s sexual ability. 10) Trying to follow the Prophet’s recommendation concerning the etiquette of getting ready for bed, such as reading well-known supplications, sleeping on the right side, and avoiding sleeping on the belly (the Prophet forbade sleeping on the belly). 11) Striving hard to be patient and chaste, because persistence will eventually, Allaah willing, lead to attaining those qualities as second nature, as the Prophet explains in the following hadeeth:
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