Spring Cleaning at Work

Energy efficiency does not begin or end at home. To some people's surprise, buildings, not cars, produce the most CO2 mainly due to electricity use. There are some things you can do around your workplace to also help conserve.

• Keep office equipment maintained and in working order. At the end of the day make sure office equipment hasn't been left on at empty workstations.
• Keep light fixtures clean and in working order. Fix that flickering light. Double check at the end of the day that all lights off at desk and in unoccupied conference rooms.
• Plug office equipment into power strips or consider appliance timers for some type of equipment.
• Take stock count - ordering in bulk saves on resources.
• Carpool!

Let us know how your conserve energy in your office building. Don't forget to share this page with others.

Green iPhone Apps

For those of us who have iPhones, we absolutely love them. We use them to find trendy nearby restaurants (like Hot Lips Pizza), check stocks (NYSE; D), and determine if we need an umbrella before we leave the house (weather.com). As many of us know, there are thousands of "apps" (applications) for your iPhone, and a few of those are green apps. We’ve created a list of 5 neat Green iPhone Apps:

1. 3rdWhale Mobile
   Find green and sustainable businesses quickly and easily with 3rdWhale Mobile(TM). The first location based service to find green businesses, 3rdWhale Mobile(TM) helps you make everyday choices to reduce your environmental impact and make a difference! The LBS-enabled service finds everything from yoga centers to bicycle shops to organic local restaurants near you. FREE


2. GoodGuide
   GoodGuide makes it fast and easy to find safe, healthy, and green products instantly, in any store. With GoodGuide you can view product ratings and see what’s behind the label of your favorite brands. Quickly check products or browse the top rated products in a category while you’re in the store and on the go. FREE


3. The Green Lemur
   The Green Lemur was created to help guide people to living a greener lifestyle. The app offers a wide variety of green tips conveniently organized helping you make the most green decisions as you about your life. FREE


4. greenMeter
   greenMeter is an app for that can compute your vehicle’s power and fuel usage characteristics, and help evaluate your driving style to increase efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and cost, and lower your environmental impact. $5.99


5. Car Care
   Track gas mileage for all your automobiles and be reminded of regular car maintenance with a customizable, user-friendly interface. Easy to read reminders make sure you do not forget about your automobile’s health, ensuring your car is greener than ever.
   

Feel free to comment on whether or not you like the apps, and we'd love to hear of any new ones.

Conserve Energy, Save Money

One of the best reasons to conserve energy is to conserve money. What is more important than that these days?

Electricity doesn't consume a major part of a typical household budget, but it's not chickenfeed either. Government statistics show that it takes about 2.8 percent of most homeowners' budgets, but for some people it could be a good bit more.

Since most of us are using far more electrical gadgets than ever before (such as computers, cell phone chargers, DVD players and the like), there are more opportunities to think of how to avoid waste and use energy wisely.

Spring Cleaning for Your Car

To continue along the theme of Spring Cleaning, don’t forget to spruce up your car. There are some simple maintenance tips to keep your car running smoothly, which will save money and energy resources.

Here are some ideas to keep your car running smoothly:

• In some areas of our nation, emission testing is an annual occurrence. This test makes sure that the engine is properly tuned.
• Keep the tires properly inflated. Properly inflated tires are safer, last longer and improve gas mileage.
• Check and replace the air filter; this will protect your engine.
• Use the proper grade of motor oil and remember to dispose of the old oil in an environmental manner.

You can check out the federal government site on fuel economy for more information.

Let us know what you do to keep your car running at its highest efficiency.

Spring Cleaning? Add energy efficiency to the "to do" list and save money.

'Tis the season for the chore called Spring Cleaning. For me, I have to motivate myself to get ready to clean (not my favorite household chore). But this year I am thinking about it positively, thinking of all the energy I will save.

There are some chores you may want to add to your cleaning list that will help you save energy and money leading into the cooling season.

• Dust the lamps and lightbulbs. The dust and grime on the bulb makes it dirty, reducing the amount of light it gives off.
• Clean your air filter. Replacing air conditioning filters allows for the system to run efficiently.
• Clean the air return vents. Make sure drapes and furniture aren’t blocking the vents.
• Vacuum the refrigerator coils. The dust builds up, causing the fridge to run less efficiently.
• Thoroughly dust electronics and then unplug them when not in use.
• Scrub the tub and then install low flow showerheads.

For tips on how to save year round, you can visit our website at http://www.dom.com/.

Tree Wizard

Have spring fever yet? We sure do! A recent bout of wintry mix outside has us counting down the days until spring officially begins (8 days, by the way).

Thoughts of spring typically conjure up images of nature and all things green. What better way to celebrate the season than planting a tree? You’d be doing something great for the environment and generations to come.

Want to plant a tree, but aren’t sure where to start? The Arbor Day Foundation offers a Tree Wizard to help determine the right tree for your yard based on climate, soil-type, and preference of tree type. In addition to that helpful tool you’ll find a wealth of information on tree-planting, how to get involved and different ways to celebrate Arbor Day (coming up on April 29th).

New Year's Resolution Tip #3 of 12: Change furnace filters every month

Change your furnace filters every month. This is the number one reason for furnace breakdowns. Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. Have a professional check and clean furnaces once a year.

Don’t forget to share this page to help others conserve energy and save money.

Spring Clocks Ahead

On a family trip in 2007, our energy blogger Alison stood at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England.

On March 8, don’t forget to “spring ahead” and move your clocks forward an hour. When you spring the clocks ahead, instead of thinking about the hour of sleep you just lost, think of all the energy savings you may incur.

Energy use is connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Daylight Saving Time ‘makes’ the sun ‘set’ one hour later, therefore reducing the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means less electricity being used for lighting late in the day. We may use a bit more electricity in the morning, but that is usually offset by the energy savings we experience in the evening.

There are a few routines one goes through in Daylight Savings, one of which is resetting the clocks. When resetting the bedside clock, don’t forget any timers you may have on your lights. While you are at it, why not also reconsider the temperature setting on the thermostat? With the days being long, we can now enjoy outdoor activities during the extra hours meaning we can re-program our thermostat based on our new lifestyle.

Where is your thermostat placed?

An improperly placed thermostat can have a significant impact on your heating and cooling usage and costs. If the thermostat is located in direct sunlight, it will not get a true reading of the actual temperature in your home.

In the winter, your home could be cooler if your thermostat is warmed by the sunlight and turns off the heating system prematurely. In the summer, on the other hand, your cooling system will run longer than necessary if the thermostat is warmed by the sun. You wouldn't think that improper thermostat placement would happen that much since they are usually installed by heating and cooling specialists, but I have seen it in a number of homes.

Check your thermostat placement if you are experiencing inaccurate temperature readings or if you suspect your system is turning on or off at the wrong time.