Save Money By Cutting Your Carbon Emissions

By Michael Gold

Homeowners who want to save money can start by cutting their household emissions of carbon dioxide.

It’s true! Cutting carbon dioxide can save you money, help you live healthier and improve the environment, all at the same time.

The three areas where you can accomplish this are: home energy use, driving and food consumption, according to John Rogers, a mechanical engineer and senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), an environmental advocacy organization, and co-author of a book, “Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living.”

Let’s start with heating and cooling your home. You can easily cut your energy costs by 15 percent simply by installing a programmable thermostat. A Honeywell programmable thermostat costs as little as $23 at Berger Hardware in Thornwood. A Wi-Fi thermostat can cost about $110.

A programmable thermostat allows you to set your home’s temperature either warmer or cooler when you’re out of the house or sleeping.

For instance, the programmable thermostat can be set to automatically adjust the temperature when you’re going out every day and when you come home, so you don’t have to constantly lower or raise the temperature.

A Wi-Fi thermostat lets you use your smartphone to set the temperature even when you’re out of the house.

NYSEG gas and electric customers can get a $75 rebate on Wi-Fi thermostats that control your natural gas heating and central air conditioning systems. Con Edison customers can get an $85 manufacturer’s rebate for installing these devices.

Preventing air from leaking out of your home can save up to 15 to 20 percent on your annual heating and air conditioning costs, Rogers said. When air leaks, you’re losing the energy the house is generating to either heat or cool the surroundings.

Caulk, seal and weatherstrip any seams, cracks and openings to the outside of the structure.

“You should seal the windows and add 30 inches of insulation in the attic,” Rogers explained.

Making your home energy-efficient is the easiest thing to do in terms of lowering heating and cooling costs, he said. He suggests buying LED light bulbs, which can last for 30 years, Rogers said. LED bulbs cost more than traditional bulbs, but you’ll save $100 per bulb over its lifespan because LED lights use less electricity than traditional bulbs.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s website explains that energy-efficient light bulbs, such as LEDs, use about 25 to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Using Energy Star-certified products can save a homeowner about $75 in electric costs annually.

Driving is another major cost. An average internal combustion vehicle uses 4,500 gallons of gas over about 15 years. The higher your gas mileage, the lower your fuel costs. If you move from a 20-mile-per-gallon vehicle to a 40-mile-per-gallon vehicle, you obviously cut your gasoline purchases in half.

If you assume prices at about $2 per gallon, you would, therefore, save about $10,000 over the life of the car, Rogers said. If you go electric, you will lower the costs of operating your vehicle even further.

Fuel costs for electric cars are about half as much as gasoline cars, he explained.

As we have seen over the decades, gasoline costs can vary widely.

“Average U.S. gasoline prices between 2002 and 2017 ranged from less than $2 to more than $4.50 a gallon,” the UCS website states, while electric costs have remained relatively stable.

What we eat has tremendous consequences for our health, wallets and the environment.

Beef is expensive, unhealthy and a killer for the environment. A pound of ground beef can cost $4.70, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website. To compare, a pound of boneless chicken breast costs about $3.20, the bureau states. Tomatoes cost less than $2 per pound and beans cost $1.45 per pound. Bananas retail at about 58 cents per pound.

If a family of four cuts its beef consumption in half, it reduces its carbon emissions by three tons, equal to six months of driving.

Also, eating more whole grain foods is much better for your health than beef.

“We want people to see the opportunity (in cutting carbon emissions) to cut costs and live a healthier life,” Rogers said.

Once you begin to make these changes, you will have the chance to embarrass your neighbors by telling them how much money you saved by going green.

I’m just kidding, but Rogers is serious.

“Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your government leaders. Tell them, ‘These are things I care about. I want you to care about these things too.’”

For more information, visit uscusa.org/climate or purchase “Cooler Smarter – Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living” to learn how cutting carbon emissions saves money.

Michael Gold has published articles in The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, The Albany Times-Union and other newspapers. Miriam Gold provided research assistance for this article.