Boost your Home’s Energy Efficiency with a Box
Author:Abigail StoneEach month when the electric bill comes, you’re guaranteed to hear a few choice words escape my lips. “Ridiculous!” I exclaim. “Preposterous!” I shout. “Inconceivable!” I declare. Then I promptly pay said bill and don’t think twice about it until the next one arrives, and it’s “ridiculous…!” all over again. Of course I try and keep energy efficiency in mind the rest of the time by turning off lights, unplugging electricity-sucking devices, and so forth, but I’ll admit I could definitely do more… if I only knew where to start.
If you’re in the same boat, Boost Home can help. The Berkeley-based company works to bring small energy-saving solutions to you that, when used together, make a big difference in the efficiency of your home. And it all comes in one easy to use bundle called a Boost Box. Looking to cut down on water use in the bathroom? They’ve got a box for that. How about keeping the heat inside during cold months? Try the Window and Door Box. Or go whole hog with the Whole Home Water or Energy Boost Boxes to really notice a difference come bill time.
Contents vary depending on where you’d like to start conserving, but rest assured it’s not just a CFL light bulb inside. (BTW, they do you one better with Armadillo compact fluorescents that better contain the bulb’s hazardous mercury should they break.) You’ll find cool and extremely useful gadgets like a Watch-a-Watt (tells you how much energy each appliance uses), an AquaAerator (can save over 7,000 gallons of water a year when screwed to your faucet), and a Drip Drop (gages how much water, if any, you’re losing due to a leaky faucet), to name but a few. Also, each box comes with instructions and a handy book with more tips for saving water or energy around your home.
And if you’ve got someone on your holiday shopping list who could use some extra cash in pocket, these kits could be the gift that keeps on giving: Each box pays for itself in little time, and will continue to save the user money for years to come. A month without an “inconceivable!”-sized bill? Sounds like a happy holiday to me.
