Looking back on the last year, I wanted to single out the most green cost saving purchase I made in 2008. Without question it would have to be my front loading washing machine. Top loading machines use a crazy amount of water and energy. I’ve mentioned the benefits to front loading washers in this column in the past and after a year using it, here are some more numbers to convince you.

• Purchase price $1000
• PGE/EBMUD combined rebate $200 *
• Manufacturer rebate $150
• Sold my old one on craigslist.com $100

• Out of pocket $550

Now the savings – I’ve done a lot of improvements over the past year which have collectively reduced my water, gas and electric totals, but based on timing of these changes, I’ve estimated the savings listed below as a direct result of the new washing machine. The water savings is obvious, these washers, like new dishwashers, use much less water, about 40-60% less! Electricity savings are significant too – 30-80% less. But how do you save gas? Two ways, heating 40 gallons of water for a top loader versus 15 gallons of water for a front loader puts a lot less energy into your hot water heater. And, here’s the best part – front loaders spin fast, real fast. That means your clothes are much more dry when then come out – my dryer cycles are 20 minutes shorter now – 35% less energy used.

• Water savings – $4/month savings
• Electricity savings – $12/month savings
• Gas savings – $12/month savings

Over $300/year in savings – less than two years and I’ve paid for the washer. I’ll be making a profit on this washing machine by the end of the summer!

It’s pretty likely that your washing machine will die in the next 10 years, save yourself money now, and change it out. If you also change out an old refrigerator and a bunch of CFL’s, we’ll all be doing our part to reduce CO2 emissions – and all this savings uses technology that’s been around for years.

* EBMUD rebate information: http://www.ebmud.com/drought/rebates.html

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Family was coming in this weekend, it was Saturday and I had ten minutes and two dirty cars. My son and I each grabbed an old towel; he went inside with some green window cleaner. I took the hose with the sprayer in one hand, and the towel in the other. I’d spray for a second on a section, then wipe everything down with the towel, then quick rinse – just the water. Two minutes and very little water later, the car looked no different than if I had spent fifteen minutes soaping everything down.

When you wash a car in the sun with soap, you spray it down, soap it up, then the soap dries on the car before you get to the hose to rinse, so you need to wipe that area again – a lot of time and a lot of water. From now on, I’m just using water and a towel. I’m not going to eat off the hood – what’s the soap really doing anyway? Adding a lot of chemical run-off to the storm drain. Even if you use biodegradable soap, you should have the run-off go into your own yard.

But, save yourself all that – try this method, at least once. Hose in one hand towel in the other – fast and clean.

So what does all this have to do with washing hands? After looking at the clean car, I was thinking, some guys are going to say, ‘you can’t get a car clean without using soap.’ I then thought about men’s restrooms, how many of these guys actually use soap when they leave there? Trust me, much fewer than you want to know.

Skip the soap on the car, but go ahead and use it in the bathroom.

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OK, this one is easy – a fast, low cost way to balance your home’s carbon footprint: PG&E’s ClimateSmart Program – sign up now.

Here’s the deal – all the gas and electricity you use in your home causes a certain amount of greenhouse gases – the carbon footprint for your home.  These greenhouse gases are pollutants that serve as a blanket – warming the Earth’s surface.

PG&E has created a program that invests in programs that will offset the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the energy we use in our homes and businesses.  The program, independently verified by the nonprofit California Climate Action Registry, fuels projects like forest conservation and methane capture.  Getting involved with ClimateSmart is kind of like buying carbon offsets, which I’ve written about here and still support, but even easier.  All you do is sign up once online.  

Each billing cycle, PG&E will add a slight charge based on your energy use.  On my bill, this added less than $5 each month.  However, you’re only paying for what you use, when you use it.  You’ll barely notice the difference, while balancing out your carbon footprint over time.  And, the amount you pay in the Climate Smart program is tax deductible.

I still like the idea of purchasing carbon offsets for your car, or airline flights, but this one for your home is too easy not to do.  Go online now, and just sign up.

http://pge.com/climatesmart – all you need is your name, email address, phone number and your PGE account number

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