22 Ways to Live Greener in Lexington

Looking to live green in your Lexington home, but don’t know where to start? Did you know you’re residing in a city that truly cares about the sustainability of our community? Let the home maintenance experts at Handyman Connection of Lexington point your down the road to green living!

Living Green in Your Kitchen

• Keep your refrigerator & freezer temperatures at the right settings. Recommended temperatures are 37° – 40°F for the refrigerator compartment and 5°F for the freezer section.
• Defrost your freezer when ice or frost build-up is 1/4” or thicker.
• Check your refrigerator/freezer door gaskets periodically by closing the door on a $1 dollar bill and slowly pulling it out – if there is little or no resistance, you should replace the gasket or adjust the door, if possible, or buy a new refrigerator if necessary.
• Vacuum or brush the cooling coils (in back or underneath) at least once every six months.
• Start a compost pile in your backyard using yard waste.
• Use reusable bags…always!
• Use small cooking appliances (such as microwaves, toaster ovens and slow cookers) whenever possible. They use 50% to 80% less power than your oven or range to cook the same meal.
• Choose the right pan. Use flat-bottom pans for best contact with the heat, and always match your pan size to element size.
• Put a lid on it. Use tight-fitting lids to keep steam in the pan and cook food faster. If you’re cooking on an electric range, you can turn off the burners a few minutes early because they will remain hot for a while.
• Use smaller amounts of water for cooking and use the lowest possible heat to maintain boiling or steaming.
• Preheat oven only 5 to 8 minutes when baking. Do not preheat oven for broiling or roasting.
• Run the dishwasher only when full, and you’ll save water and the energy needed to heat the water – about 80% of that used to wash a load of dishes.
• Use “air-dry” and other power-saving switches if your dishwasher has them.
  

Living Green in the Home

• Cancel your newspaper subscription and read the news online instead.
• Buy rechargeable batteries. Learn to dispose of old batteries properly
• Recycle, recycle, recycle! Not sure what is recyclable? Check out this recycle chart.
• Turn off lights in rooms that will be unoccupied for 5 minutes or longer.
• Use natural daylight as much as possible. It’s free and environmentally friendly.
• Use task lighting. By using only the light you need to complete your task, such as a desk or reading lamp or under counter lighting, you’ll create ambiance and save energy.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with new Energy-Star-rated LEDs or CFLs.
• Use timers, photo-sensors or motion detectors on outdoor lights to automatically turn them on only when they’re really needed, reducing the electricity they consume by 80%. These controls may not work with CFLs. Check packaging to confirm compatibility.
• Use occupancy sensors in the garage, basement and other seldom-used spaces to turn lights on and off automatically.

The experts at Handyman Connection of Lexington have experience in a broad range of green living solutions. Call us today and or schedule a free, no-obligation project estimate!