Ever stared balefully at that spot light in your cathedral ceiling and know you want to change the light bulb, but you do not fancy either standing on a 20ft ladder or paying the local handyman anywhere between $25 to $45 for changing that single bulb? So if you are like me, you let it go until a few more have gone out and you are creeping around in semi darkness? Then when several lights are out, you can justify calling in a handyman. And do not think compact fluorescents are the answer. Most of them do not live up to expectations and I have found many of them only last a few months instead of years as advertised. This is where the LED light bulb comes into its own. It is 10 times more efficient than regular incandescent light bulbs and 5 times more efficient than compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). What’s more since they last for 50,000 hours or more, once you have paid for that handyman to change those cathedral ceiling light bulbs, you will not be changing those LED light bulbs any time soon, probably not for 10 to 15 years, and that suits me just fine.

Starting at $18.99.

http://www.greenandmore.com/led-light-bulbs.html

I bought myself a soda and seltzer maker for Christmas and I am happy to report that it works like a charm! I chose the less expensive Fountain Jet Soda Maker model in black and silver at $89.99 and it now adorns my counter top in the kitchen. I use it every day since I drink at least a liter of water on a daily basis. I did find the instructions a little sparse and it took me a while to figure out that the easiest way to screw the empty bottle into the machine is to do it while the machine is tilted outwards at 45 degrees and not on the vertical. Once I had figured out the obvious, I was good to go. The soda maker will have paid for itself in about 2 months, saving me hundreds of dollars every year.

Starting at $89.99 and available at GreenandMore.com

http://www.greenandmore.com/home-soda-pop-seltzer-water-makers.html

We own some rental properties and last week my husband arrives home and said we needed a new water heater in one of them, and he has authorized a firm to install a new one at $1750.While I leave my husband to manage our property this time I interferred. I reminded him that I had just installed a Tankless Water Heater system in the condo I maintain near our offices with great success and for a great deal less money. He came into the Boston area recently and inspected this new marvel in person. He had actually been using it for weeks without even knowing it, and I pointed out to him that his long showers no longer ran cold and my electricity bills were less since the tankless installation. Needless to say, this is what is now being installed for our tenant- and they are thrilled at the prospect of saving on their energy bills. And since a tankless hot water heater system will last for about 20 years, I know that is one complaint I will not be dealing with again. The savings in the initial purchase and installation is about $500.

Starting at $379.99.

http://www.greenandmore.com/tankless-hot-water-heaters.html

Periodically my cleaning lady cannot resist buying a bottle of Windex, and I have a nutty because I have mild MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) and also hate the odor of chemicals. So I have stocked up on our new EcoDiscoveries line of eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products, and for now my cleaning lady and I seem to have made peace. I would advise getting their introductory whole house kit and trying all the products in their line up and save on shipping. One of the brilliant things that they have done is ship the bottle empty and give you a little bottle of concentrate which actually makes two whole bottles - you just fill up with water. So you actually get two bottles for the price of one. You can get the refills at anytime and be good to the environment. And all their products work just as well as the supermarket chemical ones- but without the health hazards. I give this brand two thumbs up.

Available as a complete cleaning kit (now on sale for $52.95, or sold individually starting at $9.95 for a bottle).

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/ecodiscoveries-natural-cleaning-products.html

Somebody was grumbling at a family party the other day that they did not like LED light bulbs because they only came in bright white, and they preferred a warmer color. I agree with them- warm white is somehow much more soothing, and we are more used to that color with our incandescent lighting. However, the good news is that LED lights are now available in warm white, and there are also dimmable LED light bulbs. Given that LED lights will last a good 12 to 15 years and use a tiny fraction of the cost to run compared to incandescent lights, I predict they will become the new standard of the future.

Starting at $18.99 and available at GreenandMore.com

http://www.greenandmore.com/led-light-bulbs.html

I predict that the LED light bulb will become the de facto standard light bulb within 5 years for both homeowners and commercial building owners alike. It is only the initial outlay of money that is holding most people back. However, if you can afford the upfront cost (our LED light bulbs start at $24.99), the cost savings in energy consumption and convenience of not having to change the bulb, perhaps for decades, makes LED light bulbs very attractive as a lighting option. Moreover LED light bulbs are available in all sizes that the homeowner or commercial building owner might need. The other thing that confuses people, is what strength LED light bulb they need to replace their present incandescent light bulbs, since their low wattages of 3 to 13 watts hardly sound like they are going to light up your world! This is why it is incumbent on all retailers of LED light bulbs to rate them in the incandescent equivalents – which we do on GreenandMore.com. Another aspect of LED light bulbs that has been disappointing till now, is that lumen for lumen the LED light bulbs did not seem to give out much light. This is because LED lights are more directional and perfect for down, task or spotlight applications. However, recent advances by CREE and others have made LED light bulbs both brighter and with a wider angle of light dispersion.

LED light bulbs can last 10 to 20 years and have no mercury in them as compared to compact fluorescent light bulbs, and consume a fraction of the energy of a regular incandescent bulb. Imagine cutting your lighting bill by 90%; In my mind that is what energy conservation is all about.

Here’s a quick list of LED light bulb pluses for you to consider:

• LED light bulbs consume 5 times less energy than compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• LED light bulbs contain no hazardous mercury for disposal.
• LED light bulbs do not flicker.
• LED light bulbs are very robust because they are solid state and do not contain filaments.
• The light from an LED bulb comes on immediately with no warm up time.
• Led light bulbs last for 10 to 20 years compared to the average compact fluorescent light bulb found in big box stores, which while rated to last for years, we have often found will only last a few months.

http://www.greenandmore.com/led-light-bulbs.html

I was having a conversation with an artist friend of mine the other night who was lamenting that products that were “green” were either ugly or priced at a premium, making them out of reach for the average consumer. She also said it was difficult to buy these items at a premium price when the benefits, in terms of global warming, would not be felt in her lifetime but more likely by future generations. I had a certain sympathy for that point of view. However, I countered with, that from my perspective, everyone is concerned with the price of energy and one of our growing product categories is focused on energy conservation. Everyone likes to save money and personally I have found that by judiciously lowering consumption and using energy saving products, I have slashed my energy bill by at least a third to nearly a half over the previous year. I have only managed to achieve that in the condo where I live during the work week because I have control over the total usage. My husband and I live in another house at weekends and since energy conservation requires the cooperation from all family members, and my electricity guzzling husband likes to keep all lights blazing on all floors, the energy consumption at this home is more difficult to control. But I did manage to sneak in a couple of things that he would not notice including turning up the thermostat in summer because I know he hates to tamper with the controls! 

http://www.greenandmore.com/energy-efficient-products.html

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We have just launched a line of eco friendly household cleaners from Eco Discoveries and the initial feedback we are getting from testers is very positive. This line of household cleaners is both non-toxic and fragrance free, as well as being not too expensive. We will let you know more as our testers give us more specific evaluations.

Starting at $6.49.

http://www.greenandmore.com/non-toxic-natural-household-cleaners.html

If you cannot justify a tankless water heater, but want to save money on your hot water bills, a tried and true method is an insulating jacket for your water heater. This will save money when your water heater is on standby, Ours from Progressive will save between 4 to 9% of your hot water heating bills. Moreover, it is manufactured from at least 40% recycled materials, so it gets extra brownie points.

Just $79.99.

http://www.greenandmore.com/insulating-hot-water-heater-blanket-insulation.html 

These backpacks and lunch bags for the juniors in your family are oh-so-cute. Sufficiently so, that they are on my husband’s gift list for his grandchildren. Besides being cute, they are manufactured out of eco friendly materials.

Starting at $38.99.

http://www.greenandmore.com/dabbawalla-kids-back-packs-lunch-bags.html