Live Green

Live Green this Winter

What's the Air Like?
Air quality affects how you live and breathe. Like the weather, it can change from day-to-day, or even hour-to-hour. There are a couple of ways to check current air quality conditions:

• Find it on this website, from the "Current Air Quality" icon at the top of our webpages. 
• Sign up for EnviroFlash, a free e-mail notification system.

Wood Burning Fireplaces, Stoves and Inserts 
Many people enjoy the warmth of a crackling fire but smoke contains harmful pollutants that can damage the lungs. And, the smoke is emitted into our neighborhood air, where we spend much of our time. If you heat with wood, be a good neighbor and always follow these burning techniques: 

• Burn small, hot fires using seasoned wood, compressed sawdust logs or pellets.
• Check your chimney, you should only see heat waves. Excessive smoke is prohibited.
• Don't prolong the fire by closing down the damper - it starves the fire, wastes wood and produces heavy smoke.
• Check the burning conditions before lighting a fire. Call 477-4710. 
• Click here for more detailed information on wood heating. 

Heating
When the heat is on, there's the potential for your furnace to create and/or spread pollutants throughout your home. Keep your furnace in good working order by having it cleaned, inspected and serviced annually. Change filters regularly and invest in a carbon monoxide detector.

Control Your Thermostat 
Set your thermostat between 68 and 70 degrees when home, and turn down to 55 to 60 degrees when gone for more than 3 hours or sleeping. Check the accuracy of your thermostat with a standard room thermometer. For every degree you turn your heat down, you save $3 to $5 per month. Lastly, change your filters every month during the heating season. Pleated filters should be replaced every three months. Reusable filters are now available for most furnaces and need cleaning on a monthly basis. Vist Avista Utilities for more energy saving tips.   

Conserve Energy & Save Money
Plug air leaks in ceiling, walls and foors and keep your home warm by keeping the cold out! 

• Install door sweeps, weather stripping and caulking around doors and doorframes.
• Seal cracked glass, caulk, or glaze around edges, seal pulley holes in windows. You can buy special weather stripping for sliding glass doors.
• Install shrink-to-fit plastic over your windows on the inside of your home.
• Cover and seal off fireplaces when not in use.
• Fill & cover large holes, and caulk or foam seal small holes at the plumbing breaks.
• Seal electric outlets and light switches (on perimeter walls) with foam gaskets.
• Caulk baseboard trim on perimeter walls.
• Cover & seal any other holes with insulation or crumpled plastic bags covered with cardboard and sealed with duct tape.

Appliances Conservation Tips
You can save money and reduce pollution by implementing a few simple conservation tips.

• Set Water Heater to 120- 130 degrees. Turn your water heater off at the breaker (for an electric tank) or set to “Vacation” (for a gas tank) when you will be gone for a day or more. 
• Keep refrigerator at 38 degrees and freezer between 0 and 10 degrees. Clean the coils once/month with a long-handled bristle brush or vacuum (unplug first).
• Wash full loads of laundry with cold water – washing clothes in hot water costs about 20 to 40 cents per load and does not sterilize. Line dry clothing whenever possible.
• Make sure dishwasher has a full load before using & air-dry the dishes by propping the door open.
• Visit Avista Utilities, Sustainable Works, and Energy Star for more energy saving tips. 

Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs 
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) typically use one fourth of the amount of energy as equivalent incandescent bulbs, and last 7-10 times as long. Replacing all of your incandescent bulbs with CFLs is one of the easiest ways to conserve energy and save money in your home.

Be sure to properly dispose of used CFLs; they should not be thrown away in your trash or in your recycle bin. Call the recycling hotline for disposal options, 625-6800.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Reduce - buy in bulk, remove yourself from junk mail lists and take your own bags to the store. Reuse plastic bags, containers and spray bottles. Recycle magazines, newspapers, batteries, glass, cans and plastic. For more information on what can be recycled in the Spokane-area, click here.