12 Eco- Projects for Under $500..
Plus some bonus projects
This document includes:
• 12 projects, including short descriptions
• Estimated costs
Please note: We do not work with any one particular manufacturer.
Any products mentioned in this document are examples. Please
research other products and incorporate the one that is most suited
to your needs and budget.
We recommend that you:
• Pick one project to do per month
• Obtain additional installation
guidance (this is meant to be an
overview, not a step-by-step how
to guide)
• Hire a professional if you do not
feel comfortable attempting any of
these projects
• Do additional research to
determine the product that best
suits your needs
and to obtain an exact cost – costs
vary based on many factors, and the
figures provided are only estimates.
• Contact us at eco-coach.com, tweet
or meet us on facebook or linked-in
to receive other examples and
suggestions
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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1. Build a Clothesline
Next to your refrigerator, your dryer is likely the biggest
energy-guzzling appliance in your house.
If clothesline sounds too retro, call it "solar and wind
assisted drying" instead!
• Buy a pulley kit or order the components online.
• Use 4x4 or 6x6 pressure-treated posts for the uprights,
and 2x8s for the cross arms (these don't need to be
pressure-treated).
• Notch the posts to receive the cross arms, set them in
concrete, and run the lines on eye hooks between them.
Lumber: $42
Estimated Cost
Hardware: $10
100 feet of line + 100 wood clothes pins: $17
Total: $69
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2. Add tube-type skylight
There's at least one place in your home —
a dark stairwell, a north-facing bathroom,
a rear hallway —
where you can't see what you're doing without turning on a light, even
in the daytime.
That's the ideal spot for a light tube, which lets you bring in the sun's
rays without the hassle or expense of installing a conventional skylight.
Solartubes -"sun tunnels“- capture light,
bounce it down inside a reflective tube and
beam it out through a plastic diffuser in the
ceiling.
From the inside looking up, you see what
appears to be a no-frills light fixture.
If you're handy, it's a half-day project.
If you're not, hire a pro and still come
in under $500.
14-inch tube kit with flashing,
sealant, and 4 feet of duct: $229
Extension tubes: Two 20-inch
sections at $40 each
Total: $309
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3. Put a recirculating pump under the sink
When waiting for hot water to arrive at your bathroom sink, keep in mind
that water isn’t the only thing flowing down the drain -so is the energy to heat
it.
You could press a button and have hot water in an instant.
An on-demand recirculating pump installed under the sink captures not-yethot water before it exits the tap & circulates it back to the water heater.
The process repeats until the water gets hot enough.
You turn on the tap and
hot water flows out.
This setup saves water that would otherwise go down the drain.
Estimated Cost
Metlund D'Mand $50
Recirculating Pump: $268
(includes all fittings for copper pipe)
Total: $268
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4. Insulate hot-water pipes
Without insulation, your house's hot-water pipes
act as a gigantic radiator, transferring heat to the
air so efficiently that any water in the pipes —
even if it left the boiler at a toasty 105 degrees — is
barely lukewarm 15 minutes later.
Insulate pipes wherever you can reach them by
encasing them in rubber or polyethylene foam
tubes.
The tubes have adhesive-coated slits down the
middle, just ease them over the pipe and press the
ends closed.
Seal the seams with duct tape.
Estimated Cost
Tubes to cover 45 feet of 3/4-inch pipe: $55
Roll of duct tape: $5
Total: $60
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5. Install a smart ceiling fan
Make sure any fan you buy is ENERGY STARrated.
Lighted ones should use fluorescent bulbs .
Once installed,
raise your air conditioner setting by 5 degrees.
(Experiment with heat too.)
Fans ionize the air and collect particles, thus
cleaning the air.
Install an occupancy sensor switch
that shuts the fan off if no one's in the room.
Estimated Cost
52-inch Calera Ceiling Fan: $69
Retrofit electrical box: $12
Motion-sensing wall switch: $25
Total: $106
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6. Create a rain garden
Runoff is a problem!
With a rain garden, it becomes an amenity.
Instead of diverting gutter water into a storm drain,
where it picks up motor oil & other urban crud,
enjoy a garden!
You are helping natural flood control & water
conservation that used to be the job of forests and
wetlands.
Check for plant recommendations at your local
extension office or native plant society.
Estimated Cost
For a plot 5 feet wide, 10 feet long, 2 feet deep:
1 cubic yard of topsoil: $27
2 cubic yards of sand: $30
1 cubic yard of compost: $30
Total: $87 (plus the cost of plants)
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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7. Install dual flush toilet kits
Save water and money by simply
converting your old toilet bowl
Instead of changing your whole toilet to a low flow
one which costs $150 -400 and is difficult to install.
Buy a retrofit kit dual flush kit that contains easy
steps to change your water use 67% in less than 20
minutes.
Kits are available are hardware stores and even
available on Amazon.
Estimated Cost
For example BlueSource HydroRight Dual
Flush Converter Kit
Total: $19.95 available on line
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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8. Install a programmable
thermostat
With an estimated annual savings of $100
and an initial outlay of only about $50,
few upgrades pay for themselves as
quickly.
For every degree you lower your
thermostat for an 8-hour period, you cut
energy use by about 1 percent.
Set it back 10 degrees overnight,
and that's a 10 percent savings!
Estimated Cost
Honeywell T8112
Seven-day Thermostat: $49
Total: $49
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9. Install aerators on faucets.
These screw-on mesh screens break up water
droplets, so you use less water but get just as much
rinsing power.
It takes less than 5 minutes to unscrew your old
aerator and put in a new one.
Estimated Cost
Aerator: maximum cost $5 each and it is DIY
Total: $3-5 each
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10. Clean your refrigerator coils.
Coated with dust, refrigerator coils can't transfer heat
efficiently.
They're usually found underneath or at the back, so
use a long-handled brush.
Estimated Cost
Long-handled brush: Cost depends on
where you buy it or free if you tape a
stick to a regular brush or if you
borrow one from a friend.
Total: $2-$20
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11. Replace and/or add weatherstripping
Weatherstripping and caulking is probably the
most effective way to cut down on wasted energy in
the winter and summer.
Improperly sealed homes are uncomfortable and
drafty.
They can squander 10 to 15% of your heating dollars
and reduce the effectiveness of air-conditioning in
the summer.
Estimated Cost
Weatherstripping and sealing materials are
available at any local hardware or eco-store
Total: $5 - 30
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12. Reduce light pollution
Adding sensors equipped with a photocell are often referred to as
"Dusk-to-Dawn" lights save money. Motion sensors on outdoor lighting
is also a great way to add security outside your home as well as saving
money.
Point the light towards the ground.
Not only will you save electricity, but also preserve your view
of the night sky.
Estimated Cost
Many fixtures have both photocell and
motion technology build in, but for an
add on DIY sensor it should cost less
than $35 each
Total: $35 each sensor or $50-200 for
a fixture depending on style
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Bonuses – More Steps You Can Take!
Make or Buy Thermal Shades, Curtains or Drapes
Shades are getting smarter.
Some now feature a patented cell-within-a-cell design
that doubles the energy efficiency of the window.
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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Clean green
You don't need dozens of toxic products.
Compare the contents of your household
cleaners in the Household Products Database
(http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov )
Soap, baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice
cleans just fine!
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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Saving money on food
Let worms eat your garbage &
produce rich compost. Worms thrive in closed
containers, which attract fewer pests than a compost pile.
Estimated Cost
You can buy plastic worm bins or
make your own:
2 sheets of plywood: $78
Hardware: $10
1 lb. red wigglers: $20
Total: $108
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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Buy or build a worm bin
While we recommend that you buy organic, we
also recognize that it costs more if you don’t grow
it yourself.
Unfortunately studies have shown the home
refrigerator is a huge food waster. Between
20-40% of food in the American home is wasted.
We have 4 suggestions on some easy ways to
preserve the food you buy. They are fun to try with
the family.
Estimated Cost
You can buy plastic worm bins or
make your own:
2 sheets of plywood: $78
Hardware: $10
1 lb. red wigglers: $20
Total: $108
Eco-Coach • 202-559-0777 • www.eco-coach.com
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Four Ways to Preserve Foods
1. Heat
The point of preserving food is to kill micro-organisms, and using heat is a
particularly efficient way of doing that. High temperatures kill most bacteria,
but the spores of Clostridium botulinum may survive, developing into
botulism, which is extremely poisonous.
2. Acid
Common acids used are vinegars and lemon juice. As a precaution, it is
recommended that these preserves be processed in boiling water as well.
3. Sugar
Sugar in high concentrations creates an environment where micro-organisms
cannot grow. It is true that molds can grow on jams, but only in the presence
of air. When you look at a recipe for jam or jelly, don't cut the amount of sugar
down because it seems like too much. It isn't.
4. Freezing
Freezing brings food to such low temperatures that no micro-organism can
grow. It can however, change the taste of some vegetables, so blanching first is
recommended. Fruit may be frozen.
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Contact Us
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LinkedIn: Eco-Coach Green Consulting Network
Telephone: 202-559-0777
Email: info@eco-coach.com
Website: www.eco-coach.com
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