Most cottages are the dumping ground for old appliances, the ones that we replaced with EnergyStar complient appliances at our home. These old appliances are energy hogs as they tend to be 20+ years old. Replacing them often comes down to money. Running a second property is not for the fient at heart. In our case, our secondary fridge, the beer fridge konked out so we had the perfect excuse to replace it with the more efficient models available today. After all, it was the BEER fridge. Getting rid of the old appliance is not always that easy, especially an old fridge but we were very lucky because the municipality that our cottage is located in will take away old appliances and they in turn re-cycle what they can salvage.
So how do we do our part?
Small steps can make a huge difference. The first thing we did when we bought the family cottage was to replace all of the old light bulbs with CFL bulbs. This might seem expensive but these bulbs last for several years and they really, really save energy.
Compact fluorescent stats• CFLs use 75 per cent less electricity than incandescent bulbs.• The long lifespan of compact fluorescents -- five to 13 years -- means they enter the waste stream less often.• CFLs cost more upfront than incandescents, but you'll recoup the funds since they last longer and you save on your electricity bill.
Once your CFLs burn out you will have to dispose of them safely as they contain low levels of mercury and should not be thrown out in the garbage. Luckily Ikea and Home Depot recycle CFLs at no charge.
Another small savings is to unplug your appliances when they are not in use. I just recently found out that even if an appliance is not in use it still draws energy when it is plugged in. Of course running around plugging and unpluggin is not everybody's cup of tea. There is a new energy-efficient power bar that holds up to 8 plugs and can remotley turned on and off. It is available at Home Depot. (no I don't work for them, I just love their store)
At night-time my favourite thing to do at the cottage is to turn off the lights and I burn candles everywhere. My husband always says we are having a seance, but I love the effect and of course we are saving electricity.
Our next energy saver was quite a contentious issue. We made the decision to remove a portable dishwasher. If your cottage is like ours it always has large crowds on the week-end. The dishwasher was a huge help. One of the big problems with a three season cottage is that they are not insulated so a buil-in dishwasher is just not a possibility. Even though our portable dishwasher was under 5 years old, every spring it had a leak somewhere. When you are renting your cottage the last thing your guests want is a problem with an appliance, even it is only minor. The other issue was because of the amount of phosphates that dishwashers dump into our septic and then into our lakes. The consequences of using the dishwasher are as bad as fertilizers. For example, Cascade dishwasher soap contains 1 gm of phosphates per tablespoon. If you run your dishwasher once a day and use 2-6 tablespoons of soap you generate 700-2,100 gm of phosphates per family, per year. The alternative is to use bio-degradable dishwasher soap, just add a small amount of vinegar for added cleaning power. Check-out this website for info on green products: http://www.ecologo.org/
Not having a dishwasher turned into a benefit because our sink has a huge picture window directly in front of it. The view outside features a birdbath and feeders and there is always plenty of bird action to watch. Of course I hope that our cottage renters feel the same way.
The final major change we made was to remove the old 12 litre flush toilet which was definatley ready for appliance heaven. We replaced it with a 6 litre low flush model. The savings for us will be substantial as it will mean less money to have the holding tank emptied. I also love the self-closing quiet toilet seat. Every women's dream!
One of the major choices that we all can make to help out our planet is to recycle. Our cottage has door to door recycling pickup and the difference in our amount of garbage has been substantial. I know many cottagers don't have this service but taking any recyclables home at the end of your stay would be a great way to make a contribution.
If you would like to check out our rental site just visit: http://www.cottagesincanada.com/roysretreat
Thanks for stopping in and if you have any eco-friendly tips for around the cottage please leave a comment.
Happy Cottaging
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