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Sometimes reducing your environmental impact can be a little overwhelming. There is a lot of new information and sometimes it changes very quickly from new research or developments. Start off small and take it a day at a time and soon you'll be able to incorporate a lot of these ideas into your daily life.  Here are 10 ways to get started reducing your impact at home.

1. Conserve Energy - Start off by being conscious of the energy you use at home, noticing what lights are on, when the TV is on, etc. Then make a concerted effort to turn off lights and electronics when they are not needed. Conservation is not about doing without, but about using energy wisely.

Snow Melt Systems
Many Park City residents use snow melt products, such as heat tape, to prevent ice dams on their roofs.  These snow melt systems are needed for certain roofs, but they also use a huge amount of electricity.  In fact, some systems use as much electricity as the entire home.  Make sure your snow melt system is turned off during warmer months - some systems have been found to be operating during spring/summer, costing lots of money and inflating the community's carbon footprint.
 

2. Perform a Home Energy Audit - While energy conservation is important, energy efficiency is even more important and for your home to be energy efficient, you should perform a home energy audit. This audit will tell you where you need upgrades to equipment, lights insulation, windows and appliances. Many of these changes are easy and inexpensive and will yield huge energy savings. A home energy audit can be done by yourself, or you can hire an experienced professional to help guide you and offer the most cost effective recommendations.

3. Replace Inefficient Bulbs - Your energy audit will likely reveal that you have some inefficient bulbs in your home. Make sure to replace those with more efficient lighting options like CFLs or even LED bulbs which use a fraction of the energy and last much longer than older lighting technologies. You'll begin saving money immediately with this low cost and easy upgrade.

4. Unplug - Avoid phantom loads that come from gadgets and electronics that draw power even when they're off. Unplug chargers, printers, gadgets, coffee makers, toasters and other similar electronics to avoid wasting unnecessary energy. You can also plug these devices into a power strip and shut off the power strip when not being used.

5. Improve Indoor Air Quality - Sometimes your home's indoor air quality is worse than the air outdoors due to inadequate ventilation and the release of toxins indoors from furniture, chemicals, equipment and more. Learn more about the sources of indoor toxins and how to reduce them to make your home safer.

6. Upgrade Inefficient Appliances - Reduce both water and energy use by upgrading to more efficient appliances. Look for ENERGY STAR labeled appliances that are guarenteed to be more efficient. While the initial cost of the appliance may be slightly more than a regular one, the money you save on energy will more than cover the cost of the upgrade.

7. Clean Greener - Cleaning solutions in your home may actually be toxic and causing you harm. Start cleaning your home with more natural cleaning supplies that are safer for your family, pets and the environment. Look for all natural, biodegradable and non-petroleum based products.

8. Buy Green Power - One of the cheapest and easiest ways to reduce your carbon emissions is to purchase renewable energy from your electric utility. When you buy green power, your money goes to pay for electricity that was produced from renewable energy sources. Our very own Rocky Mountain Power has a program for exactly that called Blue Sky. Sign up today!

9. Install Renewable Energy - After you've done all the energy efficiency upgrades you can become better about conserving energy, you can look into installing renewable energy systems for your home in order to generate your own energy. Depending on where you live and your home's orientation will determine what system is best for you. Learn more about Solar Hot Water, Solar Electric or Wind Energy Systems.

10. Buy Carbon Offsets - Finally, when your home is energy efficient you can offset the rest of your greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon offset. When you purchase a carbon offset, you are helping fund a project that prevents carbon emissions from being released. Carbon offsets should be bought to reduce your families emissions only after you've made your home as energy efficient as possible.
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