It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money nor take a lot of time to go green. A few, small changes around the house can shave electricity bills and greatly benefit the environment. Read this guide to learn how you can use green energy efficiently, while making great lasting impacts in the environment.
Use a solar water heater to keep your pools, tubs and plumbing full of piping hot, but cheap, water. Solar water heaters use the sun’s heat to warm water rather than using natural gas or electricity for heat. Certain upgrades, though expensive, qualify for specific tax deductions.
You can save a phenomenal amount of energy just by using less electricity every day. Unplug alliances when they are not being used. Always turn off the television and lights when you are not using them. This is easy to do and saves a lot of energy.
The flow of air in a home is better controlled when you have stormed windows and doors installed. The cold air which comes in from drafts can be reduced with proper care for doors and windows. When homes have windows and doors that are stormed, 45 percent less energy is used, which can decrease electric bills.
Use a solar water heater to keep your pools, tubs and plumbing full of piping hot, but cheap, water. Solar water heaters tap into the abundant and free energy offered by the sun. Water heated by other methods, like natural gas, propane, or electricity, is not an efficient method. Although these upgrades could cost a lot, they also might qualify for energy tax deductions.
Rather than using an energy-hogging desktop computer, switch to a laptop. Laptops use only about one quarter of the power consumption of a full desktop, and is ideal for those that use their computer for surfing the Internet or word processing. Laptops are also portable which makes them much more functional and handy in times of need.
Solar panels can be installed on your roof allowing you to use solar energy. There are some things that should be further looked in to before doing this. The most important consideration is how much your home is exposed to sunlight. If you live in an area with a lot of shade, or worse, a lot of cloudy days, you’ll be unable to make full use of solar panels.
Try using a solar oven for your baking needs. You can make this by using a piece of foil, a box, and an old window. These ovens reach temperatures greater than 300 degrees, while using no outside energy besides solar.
Clean or replace the filters on your furnace once each year, and check once a month to see if they need to be cleaned. You should also install filters on any warm-air registers included with your furnace. This reduces debris and small toys from falling into the ducts, which will make them less efficient.
See exactly how many watts of power you are using. Use gadgets like the Watt Minder and the Kill-A-Watt so that you can discover what uses the most energy. Plug these gadgets into an appliance to find out how much energy is used in an hour, a month or a year. This will show you the cost of your appliance.
Air flow is better controlled in home that has stormed doors and windows installed. Storm doors and windows decrease cold air from drafts. Homes which have stormed windows and doors increase their energy efficiency by as much as 45% which also ends up costing you a lot less on your utility bills.
Use LED holiday lights to help with green energy use. The use of LED lights reduces the use of electricity according to research. Two billion KWh if everyone made the change, to be exact! This is enough energy to power 20,000 houses in one year. Saving money on your electric bill is the least that can happen.
Instead of buying that new desktop computer, purchase a laptop, as desktops use much more electricity. This could possibly reduce your electrical use by 75 percent, especially if the Internet is used frequently or there is heavy use of word processing software. Plus, you can take your laptop with you anywhere you go!
Energy Star appliances help save energy. This rating ensures that the appliance was built to use less energy than the other non Energy Star products. For freezers and refrigerators, the rating guarantees 20 percent less energy used, 40 percent for dishwashers, and at least 50 percent when it comes to washing machines.
Green Energy
While it is an old idea on saving energy, it is a great idea to make it a habit to turn off the lights when you exit a room or your home. You would be surprised how much energy you could end up saving over time if you get into the habit of turning off your lights. In addition, you will save money on your utility bill.
Look for federal and local rebates that apply to renewable energy at home. Ask your utility company if they offer rebates for green energy upgrades. Also look into tax deductions offered by the government that may apply to your green energy technology. Rebates and tax credits can make it a lot cheaper to upgrade your home, to make it more energy efficient.
Overpaying initially for green technology eventually pays for itself. Since you won’t pay as much on utilities, it is worth spending more money on green technologies initially. These electronics will also be beneficial to the environment in the future.
In order to keep up with energy efficiency goals, compare all your energy bills to previous year to see how much progress you are making. Simply being more conscious of your energy expenditures can help you to significantly reduce them. If you are specifically focusing on reducing your electricity and water consumption, then you are going to be more conscious of lights left on, or dripping taps.
Keep an eye out for Energy Star labels when shopping for energy-efficient appliances. Appliances that have been ENERGY STAR rated follow energy consumption guidelines promulgated by the U.S. Department of Energy in addition to the Environmental Protection Agency. Some of these products have tax rebates from the government for being green appliances.
Switch out an old boiler. Older boilers weren’t built to be energy efficient, and they’re costing you an arm and a leg compared to a newer unit. Not only do they create less carbon dioxide, a poisonous gas, they can also lower your energy bill.
Put solar panels on the roof to make the home greener. Do not be discouraged by the initial high investment costs, as you will recoup that money in the form of monthly energy savings. Once the panels are in, solar power is free; you might even be able to sell power to local utility companies.
One way to use less energy in the kitchen is to use a microwave oven. When cooking on, or within, the stove, a lot of energy is used. So, pop your food in the microwave and avoid wasting energy to heat it.
Heat the rooms in your home separately. A good way to get that done is to use floor heating that has a main board for allowing you to set a certain temperature in different areas. This works particularly well if you own a larger home.
The easiest and best way to decrease energy expenses in the home is to simply turn off lights and devices when you exit a room. It’s surprising how much energy is conserved after turning the lights off. An additional benefit is the money you save on your monthly power bill.
Ceiling fans should also be used in the winter. With a clockwise rotation, they can be used to circulate the air and help the warm air come down. This will help the room feel warmer and the heater will not be used as much. Although these fans use a little bit of electricity, you’ll save a ton because you won’t have to use your furnace as much.
Try a water-saving commode in your bathroom. Up to half of the water that your household uses is when flushing the toilet. Older models used 5 or more gallons of water to flush; today’s water saving models uses a little over 1.5 gallons per flush. That is a 70 percent water savings.
One way to reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator/freezer uses is to periodically thaw foods stored in the refrigerator that have frozen. Not only will this safely thaw the food, but also the cold air than emanates from the frozen goods will help the refrigerator to stay cool, reducing overall energy consumption.
Try switching your old windows for more energy-efficient ones. There’s a ton of benefits to these windows, such as lower energy costs, a quieter home, less carbon dioxide and reduced condensation on the windows.
Keep your water heater set to 120 degrees or less to use less energy. Not only will it provide a good water temperature, but it will also save up to 10% on your bills.
Making use of solar energy will take your current green home plans to the next level. While you do make a large investment when you begin, the government offers grants to help you offset the costs, and you’ll make the money back in utility bill reduction or selling the extra energy you create back to the grid. Not only will the energy you generate take care of your electric bill, there may even be some left over to sell to your electric company.
To have a better understanding of your home energy uses, considering purchasing a monitor that keeps an eye on how much energy you use. They collect measurement of energy usage and estimate your bill. This is important because the more aware you are of how much your energy use is costing you, the more likely you are to cut back your use of electricity.
Although not all people consider global warming as a threat, everyone can benefit from the use of green energy in their home. By making a couple small changes like turning off lights when not needed, can really help save you lots of money on your electric bill.
Consider using rainwater for different things in your home, like your toilet. That will cut down on things like your water bill, and impact the environment positively as well. The collection of rainwater is very easy. Just place glass jars outside while it is raining, and they are ready for use once they are filled.
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