Computers use a lot of power. We have covered how to save energy on computers in the past.

Boray POWer helps saves energy by allowing you to slow down your computer’s processors during inactivity.

Verdiem has a new FREE home version of their Edison power management software for the PC available now.  It runs on Windows XP and Vista and helps you configure your computer to save energy. The Vista version should run under Windows 7. Use Edison to set up work time and non work time power profiles. Display money, energy and CO2 used.

AKS-Labs has Free WatchOverEnergy, an energy tracking and management software for Windows 9x, 2000, XP, NT. WatchOverEnergy program can activate stand-by mode for your monitor when you are not using the PC and when no important programs are running. Track energy saving in both watt-hours and dollars.

JSutils has energy saving utilities for Windows 2000, Windows XP/2003, Windows Vista and Windows 7. One program monitors the mouse, keyboard and CPU load and initiates computer shutdown if there has been no keyboard or mouse activity and the average CPU load has been below the threshold set for the specified time.

Granola for Windows and Linux is software that improves the energy efficiency of your PC or laptop. Server version is not free.

Sonar Power Manager puts your computer to sleep when ever you are away from it.

WinOFF is a utility program for Windows that allows you to schedule when your computer is shut down.

Eco Button Green Computer Energy Saver

Microsoft’s director of environmental sustainability has stated that “Probably 70 percent of business users leave PCs on at night for various reasons. That’s a lot of wasted energy”. Consumers need follow the same wasteful route.

I saw an interesting product at a computer store, the $30 Eco Button. Any time your computer is running and you are going to be away, you simply press the USB connected ecobutton™ and your computer is put into the most efficient energy saving mode available – they call this ‘ecomode’.

They claim it instantly sleeps and wakes computers. Eco Button also has software that displays how much energy you save. It will take a while to save the $30 it costs to buy it!

Here are some free tips for saving energy with your computer. Also consider installing a Digital Timer to control the smart power strip.

Greener Computer Printing

greenprint makes free computer software to eliminate unwanted pages saving paper, ink, money, and millions of trees. It works on Windows and Mac. The software analyzes each page and look for pages with nothing or wasted characters or just a little bit of print.

It costs a lot to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. A recent study released in early 2012 showed that the average household in San Francisco spends 39.5% of their income on housing and transportation. Those that lived in the suburbs spent even more, probably because they had to drive longer distances. People that lived in Marin County spent 56.3% on housing and transportation, while those lived in San Mateo County spent 53.3%. Finding ways to reduce our transportation costs is very important.

How to Save Money on Your Car

There is more to saving gas in your car than just driving a Hybrid Prius.  How you drive is as important as what you drive.  Give your current car a mileage boost with some of these techniques. Warning, other drivers many not smile when you are in front of them. EcoDriving covers many of these ideas.

1. Do not floor the accelerator from a stop sign
2. Empty the car of unnecessary items to reduce weight
3. Slow down before entering corners, don’t hit the brakes hard in the turn
4. Keep engine RPMs low when cruising.
5. Do not speed,  keep speeds around 60mph, do not tailgate
6. Coast down inclines
7. Keep your car tuned and tires maintained and inflated properly
8. Close windows at high speeds and use the air conditioner or better yet fan ventilation
9. Use the recommended grade of gas and oil
10. Smoothly accelerate and brake
11. Remove racks from your roof when not using them

Fuel Economy.gov shows that gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. “You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.”

“Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.”

I see many people going 70 mph or faster, when highways in the San Francisco Bay Area allow. They could save $ by driving slower.  Of course time is money too..  Speeding has also has a social cost of more speed related crashes.  Save up to $200 a year on gas by obeying speed limits and by driving smoother!

DriveSmarterChallenge.org helps you calculate your savings.

Motorcycle or Car?

Is it being more green, riding a motorcycle instead of a car? A recent Mythbusters episode found the motorcycles were more fuel efficient and produced less carbon dioxide than cars. However, the motorcycles emitted more carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitric oxide emissions, all of which pollute the air and contribute to help problems.

Green Motor Oil and Green Car Care Products

Green Earth Technologies has new car care products and biodegradable Green G-OIL Motor Oil from Green Earth Technologies. It is made from American-grown renewable animal fats. There is presently a mail-in rebate form for a FREE 5 quart bottle of G-Oil 5W-30 Bio-Based Full Synthetic green motor oil (a $26 value) Walmart and other stores carry this product, but you need purchase this motor oil by April 30, 2011.

Amazon also carries products from Green Earth Technologies.

Save Gas – Drive Slower

With gas prices falling, this tip will definitely get very little attention. It is guaranteed that someday gas prices will rise again, so keep this in the back of your mind when you are at the gas pump.

See our post Green Driving Techniques to Save Gas, Increase Mileage

Tri Flow Soy Lube – Green Lube or Eco Friendly Lubricant

As good sign of the green wave is Tri Flow Soy Lube for lubricating bikes and other moving parts. This Green Lube is natural soy oil based so it is rapidly biodegradable. Less petroleum products = more eco friendly. 90% will biodegrade in less than 28 days according to them. It does contain PTFE Teflon though.

photo credit: NiCk AnDeRsEn

I thought eco friendly toilet paper was simple, just buy recycled toilet paper.  An article in the NY Times indicates that the US is causing deforestation because of sales of fluffy toilet paper like Charmin Ultra.

Nowadays, when I see paper products that are slightly brown in color, I think that they are more environmentally friendly or green. This trend has recently started to accelerate.

“Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.”

“In the United States, which is the largest market worldwide for toilet paper, tissue from 100 percent recycled fibers makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands.”

Greenpeace even has a list of brand recommendations.  Try to stick to high recycled content and no bleaching.

So please try to stick to standard recycled toilet paper.  You can even switch to a bidet.

Costco 100% Recycled Premium Bath Tissue – Toilet Paper

Costco now sells Nature’s Choice 100% Recycled Premium Bath Tissue. No need to make a special trip to Whole Paycheck aka Whole Foods to get recycled products. Price is as low as you would expect from Costco and performance of the product is fairly good too.

The NRDC states: If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.

Cascades makes toilet paper with 20% recycled corrugated box content that is even more green, but posses a slightly brown color tint. This may shock consumers, but it is a step in the right direction. They are not using bleached paper, which saves on chlorine chemical usage. The next time you buy paper products, try to buy something slightly brown.

Eco Friendly – Green Toothbrushes

While we are thinking about the bathroom, here is another idea to make it more Green and Eco-Friendly. We saw an eco friendly toothbrush the other day. Eco-DenT makes TerrAdenT Replaceable Head Toothbrushes that save money over regular brushes. Some toothbrush companies offer mail in recycling, but few people participate.

Their analysis shows that tossing out replacement heads is more green than mailing in a toothbrush for recycling. Amazon sells their products.

Here are some tips for making eco friendly and really cheap natural cleaning products.

1) Baking soda cleans but also gets rid of odors.  (That is why we use it in the frig) Sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum it up. Mix it with Sea salt and it is a good scouring cleanser.

2) Vinegar removes grease and dirt. White vinegar gets rid of carpet odors.  Vinegar, baking soda, and water can make a good all purpose cleaner.

3) Citrus juice and peels like that of lemon are good for freshening up rooms.

4) Borax (20 Mule team) cleans, removes stains and disinfects. A good bleach alternative.

Treehugger has an article on cleaners

Cleaning Showerheads and Tile the Green Way

Cleaning shower head holes is a pain. No need to use harsh poisonous chemicals. An easy way to do it is by unplug the shower head and soak in a mix of equal parts of white vinegar and warm water for about 2 hours. Rinse it off.

A mix of 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with 1 quart of warm water works well on bathroom tile. Be sure to use a soft towel and rinse it off afterward.

Cleaning Windows the Green Way

Eco friendly green cleaning windows is easy. No need for harsh and expensive chemicals. Half cup of cornstarch with a gallon of warm water will make you a very good cleaning solution. Rinse with a touch of white vinegar mixed in with water and then wipe again.

Crumple and reuse old newspapers to wipe instead of using new paper towels.

New rebates have been added for 2012.

Utility Company ComEd has a bunch of rebates, programs and incentives to help save energy, go green, and most importantly save money.

• $35 back on Refrigerator and Freezer recycling
• $75 ComEd rebate on select top-loading ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers
• Central Air Conditioning Cycling to save money
• Instant discounts on CFL Light bulbs
• Home energy assessment with up to $1250 in incentives

Questions about ComEd Energy Efficiency Rebates, call 1-877-928-8776.

Always check your local utility’s web site for rebates before you buy a new item. We recently bought a new dishwasher that had a $50 utility company rebate that was not advertised by the store. They fulfilled the rebate in only 2 weeks. Green your home and get cash back. Most rebates run through December 31 or while funding is available.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit

Be sure to also take advantage of the Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit. This Federal tax credit can save you money in addition to your utility companies’ promotions. It applies to many items including: Wind Turbines - GeoThermal Heat Pump – Solar panels.

Additional Resources for more information

Read our article: Ways to Save Energy, Money on your Energy Bill – It is full of tips to save you money.

Interested in Solar? Read our article Are Solar Panels for Me?

Other Power Utility Company Rebates

For Northern California Energy Rebates see: PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates
For Southern California see: SCE Rebates or Southern California Edison Rebate for Energy Efficiency
For San Diego see: SDGE Rebates, SDG&E, or San Diego Gas and Electric Rebate for Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency Rebates for other locations.