What can green energy do for you? It can do a number of things, such as reducing your need to rely on the electrical grid, lowering bills, and helping to save the environment. Can you help our planet fight for survival? Keep reading to learn valuable advice about how you can help the environment and lower your bills!
Think about getting solar powered lamps for outdoor lighting. The solar lamps are relatively inexpensive and will not need any additional power other than direct sunlight. Not only does this save energy. It also ensures that there is no need to wire lights outdoor.
Lower the cost of heating your indoor water, pools and hot tubs by switching to solar water heating systems. Heating water with natural gas or electricity is not that efficient, but with solar energy, water takes the suns energy and keeps temperatures steady. While many of these upgrades have high up-front costs, they may qualify for tax credits or other rebates.
Solar panels can be an excellent investment for the typical homeowner. However, before beginning this process, you need to realize a few things. One thing to factor into your considerations is the amount of sun your house actually gets over the year. If your home is shaded, or you live in a relatively cloudy area, your power savings will not be as much.
If you use fuel oil to heat your home, ask a professional if you can use biodiesel. Sometimes you can make the switch to some use of biodiesel fuels without having to purchase new parts or make costly modifications. Biodiesel burns cleaner and more efficiently than conventional petroleum, reducing your home’s environmental impact during the winter.
During the summer time, you should consider drying your clothes using the sun as opposed to using the dryer. You’ll love how your clothes smell after being sun-dried. They will smell better than anything coming out of a dryer. Additionally, you will save both money and energy.
If you have a dishwasher make sure you only run it when it is full. The dishwasher uses the same energy when full that it uses when empty, but you’ll have to run it less often. Run your dishwasher using the energy-saving mode so that you can air-dry dishes and save energy.
Solar energy can heat water for a lesser cost. Upgrade your hot water system to one that’s solar-powered. 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.
When planning a home solar system, calculate the potential energy generation of the system using hours of sunshine in the winter. As winter sunlight is much lower than summer, you will want to be able to plan for higher energy costs in winter. You may even get rebates from your utility company in summer months if you sign up for net usage and use solar panels.
Storm doors and windows offer better air flow in the home. They will help prevent cold air drafts in your home. You can increase the energy efficiency in your house by up to 45 percent with stormed windows and doors.
Buy energy saving materials to help save energy in your home. Insulated double-pane windows and eco-friendly doors are especially effective for saving energy. When using these types of products you cut down on your heating and cooling costs.
Don’t turn up the heat very high. Put on a sweater and sweatpants when it’s cold. When heat is raised to a higher level you end up using a lot of energy you didn’t really need to use.
Many people forget to turn off machines and lights that they aren’t using, even though it seems obvious. If everyone did this, a lot of energy and money could be saved. Resolve to turn off lights and equipment when you are not using them.
Energy Star
One simple way to spot energy-efficient appliances is to check for an ENERGY STAR logo. When you see any appliance that has ENERGY STAR on it, then that means it meets guidelines approved by the U.S. Department of Energy plus those of Environmental Protection Agency. These products are also often the only ones eligible for tax rebates.
Several people want to go green, but they don’t actually go through with it. You should now be brimming with ideas on how green energy can be implemented into your home in a cost effective manner.
