Green energy brings about many great benefits for the household, and it affects the environment positively as well. Making some simple changes can slash your utility costs in half or more while saving electricity. Continue reading to find some great advice to help you green your energy.
If you plan to purchase lighting for your deck or patio, you should give solar-powered lamps a try. Not only are these lamps cheap, but they only need power from the sun. This saves you a lot of energy. It also means you don’t need hard wired outdoor lights.
Wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible. Almost 90% of the power you use to do laundry is simply used to heat the water. If your detergent is of good quality, you should have no problems using cold water. Additionally, it is more energy-efficient if you are washing full loads instead of small ones.
A good way to save money is to only turn on your dishwasher when you have a full load ready to go. Don’t run it with just a few dishes. You might be surprised by how much you can actually fit in the dishwasher. Make sure you take time to place the dishes in properly so as to maximize the space available.
Power Strip
Turn off appliances if you are not using them. When you leave any room, turn off lights, tvs, computers or any other electrical devices. The easiest way to do this is to plug everything into a power strip and then just switch that power strip to the off position whenever you need to.
If you want to have hot water, but at a lower cost, then check into solar energy. There are many solar hot-water appliances to get the job done. You can choose from a direct circulation system or an indirect one. Indirect is best if you have cold winters and worry about pipes freezing.
Energy Costs
Use e-mail over snail mail as much as possible. Don’t use paper whenever you can afford to do so. This will help the businesses you deal with cut down on energy costs, and it will also save you a lot of money on energy costs too. This also keeps the environment in better shape for everyone.
Avoid turning the heat up in your home unless you have to. Put on a sweater and sweatpants when it’s cold. Higher levels of heat use a lot of excess energy!
Monitor your electricity consumption watt by watt. Use gadgets like the Watt Minder and the Kill-A-Watt so that you can discover what uses the most energy. When you plug an electrical appliance into the monitor, it displays how much energy it requires each hour, month, or year. You’ll be able to calculate how much each appliance costs you in electricity and replace those which are power hogs.
Adopting green energies should not bust your wallet wide open. Making changes in your home now can end up saving you money in the long run. Implement a few of these tips and pass the information on as well. You will be helping your family, your neighbors and the environment as a whole.
