You have chosen to go “Green” by purchasing a new Minto home in Ottawa. But while building technologies and materials have improved greatly over the years, your household can only be as energy-efficient as the lifestyle of the family living inside.
Below, we have provided a few tips to help you live greener. You’ll use less resources, save money and help the environment! For even more information on living greener, you can download the following brochures:
- Minto Lawn Care Guide
- Recycling Tips from Minto
- In the laundry room, select the proper water level on your washing machine. (You may not need to use high every time.) Also, use the cold or warm water setting, not hot. New laundry detergent formulations don’t need hot water.
- To conserve water in the bathroom, take shorter showers. To save even more, get wet, then turn off the water to soap, lather, and scrub – then briefly turn the water on to rinse off.
- If you have a dishwasher, it uses the same amount of water whether it’s full or not, so make sure your dishwasher is fully loaded before running it. Try using a shorter wash cycle.
- If washing dishes by hand, fill the sink and use a stopper instead of leaving the water running.
- Keep drinking water in your refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water gets cold.
- Thaw food in the refrigerator or in the microwave oven instead of under running water.
- Use properly sized pots and pans, and the appropriate element for what you’re cooking. Cover pots and pans when cooking.
- Cut electrical consumption by shutting off TVs, lights and computers. Consider unplugging items or using a power bar to cut the “phantom load” electrical draw. (A typical microwave, for example, uses more power during the many hours it is off than the few minutes when it is on.)
- Adjust your thermostat to conserve energy. Go up 2 to 3 degrees in summer and down 1 to 2 degrees in winter. Proper utilization of a programmable thermostat helps you to conserve even more.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED lighting.
Remember, there is a direct environmental benefit to every conservation effort you make,
whether little or great!
