Frugal beginners guide to going green

Do this…

Conserves this…

Costs…

Saves...

Saves in 5 years…

ROI over 5 years

Love your car, love the planet

Keep up with car maintenance.

Gas

Variable ($130 per 15,000 miles of driving with one air filter change, oil changes, and filling tires).

Clean air filters can improve your mileage by as much as 7%. Using the wrong grade of oil can reduce your mileage by 1-2%. Properly inflated tires will improve gas mileage by 3%. That means, if you're driving a car that should get 25 MPG, and you're not taking care of it, you're really getting 22.25 mpg and therefore spending an extra $296.63 on gas (at $4/gallon) every 15,000 miles.

$1,186.52

228%

Don't drive so fast.

Rapid acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by 5% around town and 33% on the highway. You also get less mileage for your money -- 23% less -- if you drive over 60 mph. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Gasoline

$0 (but maybe a little more time).

In all, you can save up to $0.86/gallon or $447.20 per year (based on using 10 gallons of gas per week).

$2,236

N/A

Use waterless car wash. The average driveway car wash uses 100 gallons.

Water

One bottle of Ecotouch costs $10 -- washing your car twice a month, you need about 1.5 bottles (since you get about eight washes per bottle).

$15 on water costs and car wash soap (if you wash your car twice a month).

$75

100%

Take extra weight in your car down (i.e., take off roof racks, bike racks, etc., when not in use). This saves 1-2% fuel efficiency per 100 lbs.

Gasoline

$0

$0.04-$0.07/gallon (or $31.20 per year if you use 10 gallons of gas a week).

$156

N/A

It's getting hot in here

Lower your hot water heater thermostat to 120° F.

Energy

$0

$36 to $61 annually in standby heat losses and more than $400 in demand losses.

$2,242

N/A

Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer.

Energy

$0

$10-30 per month (5-15% a year).

$1,200

N/A

Maximize your (time and resource) efficiency

Install aerators on your existing faucets.

Water

$3-30 per aerator

Faucets account for 15.7% of all indoor use. That means the average family of four uses about 44 gallons of water per day from its faucets. Up to 60% of this water consumption could be reduced with the use of low-flow aerators, which would result in yearly savings of over $44.

$220

1333% average

Take short showers. A 5 minute shower uses an average of 10-25 gallons of water in comparison to 70 gallon baths.

Water, energy

$0

Based on California water costs and bathing six times a week, showering for five minutes will save you $27 per year over taking baths.

$135

N/A

Wash your clothes in cold water. This saves 80-90% of the energy used in washing.

Energy

$0

10 to 20 cents per load which results in about $40 per year.

$200

N/A

Wash only full loads of clothes. More than 3,400 gallons can be saved.

Water and energy

$0

$7 annually from your water bill, $2.25 annually from your energy bill = $9.25 in total per year.

$46

N/A

Fix leaky faucets. One drip can waste 250 gallons of water a month, which translates to 3,000 gallons of wasted water annually.

Water

$0 if you do it yourself, $50 if you call someone.

8% of your water bill (around $38 per year).

$190

380% (if you call someone once in 5 years).

Clean the lint trap on your clothes dryer.

Energy

$0

$34 per year.

$170

N/A

Don't over-dry your clothes.

Energy

$0

A dryer operating an extra 15 minutes per load can cost you up to $34 annually.

$170

N/A

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs.

Energy

About $5 per bulb

$30-$60 over the life of the bulb (on average 10,000 life hours which is about 5.5 years if the light is on everyday for five hours).

$45 on average

800%

Your health, your home

Buy green cleaning products, dish soap, and laundry soap. In the Huddle, here are the top five:

• All-purpose cleaners
• Laundry detergents
• Dish-washing liquid soaps

Your health

Assuming you spend $100 more on green cleaners than traditional cleaners every year.

Health care costs: The average person visits the doctor twice a year. In a household of four, if even one of these visits can be avoided, you may save a co-pay of $25. Cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10% of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers in 2000, accounting for 206,636 calls. Of these, nearly two-thirds involved children under six, who can swallow or spill cleaners stored or left open inside the home.

$125

25%

Use zero-VOC paints or wall-finishes.