You don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to use green energy. Reducing your electricity consumption does not have to be complicated, and will help keep the environment healthy. Learn how to harness green energy to help the environment and yourself by reading this article.
Use a solar-solar powered system to heat water. Solar water heaters use the sun’s energy to heat water resulting in energy savings. You may get tax deductions to offset the expense of installing some of this technology.
Keep drapes drawn when you are not home. This keeps your home cooler naturally, reducing the strain on your air conditioner and saving energy. Pay particular attention to covering the windows on the south side of your house. They typically admit the most sun. Window coverings such as roller shades, roman shades or dark curtains can be used on all windows.
When you are not using something, turn it off. Any rooms in the home that are vacant should not have any electronics or lights left on. Try using a power strip so you can turn off all of your electronics at once, instead of letting power be wasted in standby mode.
Batteries need to be situated closely to the cells in solar power systems. This avoids power loss in the cable. This also prevents the long cables from casting shadows over the PV cells.
An easy way to cut energy costs and go green is to dress warm. 2 degrees of warmth is added by wearing a light sweater, and 4 degrees with a heavy one. It’s not necessary to wear so little at home, so out on a sweatshirt and save some cash!
There are products available for purchase that can help you reduce your energy costs. Double glazed windows as well as eco-friendly doors reduces energy usage in the home. This type of product is perfect for reducing AC costs.
If you can afford it, invest in a laptop rather than using a desktop as they tend to use more energy. You can reduce your energy use by three-quarters if you use the internet a lot or do a lot of word processing. The laptop has the added benefit of being portable, so you can use it anywhere!
Green Energy
Pay careful attention to rebates that may help you save money on renewable energy. Your local utility company may be offering green energy rebates to apply updates. In some cases, there could be credits or tax deductions either from the federal or state government. The combination of rebates and tax credits will make it much more affordable to install green energy systems.
Think about using a carpool more often than commuting to work if you want to cut the amount of fuel you use. Parents can trade off driving duties and carpool neighborhood kids to school together. If you live near another family and friends, then synchronize your grocery shopping days and take turns being the driver.
A good green energy technology tip is to use a water heater that is on-demand. Traditional water heaters run constantly, heating the water when it’s completely unnecessary. The on-demand water heater will heat water instantly and save you money on energy.
If possible, switch the old windows in your home with newer, energy-efficient ones. Not only will you reduce your energy bills, you will enjoy a much quieter home. You will also have a lot less condensation, resulting in less mold growth and water damage.
Automatic light sensors including motion detection should be installed. These devices automatically detect when there is no longer anyone in a room and turns the lights off. The savings from these devices can really add up! Don’t forget to also include the outdoor lighting above your garage, too!
Solar Panels
Make your home greener by adding solar panels. Even though a significant cost is involved when you install solar panels, your investment cost will be recouped within several years. Once you’ve made the initial investment in solar panels, you can actually pay them off and make money by selling energy back to the grid.
Weatherizing your home is a great way to make it more energy efficient. You can seal ducts, add in insulation, and put in new windows and cooling systems that are energy efficient so that you can reduce the energy it takes to operate your home. You may also see real savings on your energy bill!
Make full use of ceiling fans between November and March. By switching them to clockwise rotation, you can use them to push warm air down from the ceiling where it pools, reducing the demands on your furnace or other heating appliance. It does take a little electricity to operate the fans, but you will save more energy from not having to run the furnace on a regular basis.
Programmable thermostats are one of the easiest ways to save money on energy costs. When you get one of these thermostats you help regulate the temperatures for your home during both the winter and summer months. You can also program them to regulate temperatures during night and day hours.
Save money on your electric bills by being stingy about light usage. Don’t turn on the lights until a certain time, during the brighter months. Make use of dimmers and sensors to minimize unnecessary light usage.
Sometimes changing over your entire house to renewable energy sources, such as solar power, simply is not possible. In these instances, consider making changes to just one or two rooms, or one or two units. You may be able to use solar energy to heat hot water or meet some of your other needs without heating your whole home this way.
Green Technology
Decrease prices on green technology by demanding access to those products. Since you’re the consumer then you have all the power, you can do things like demand technology that is environmentally friendly. As demand and consumption of products made from environmentally green companies rises, the availability of these products will increase. This will also hasten the manufacturing changes that will be necessary to keep product manufacturers profitable as they enter the age of green technology.
Everyone can benefit somehow from green energy use in their homes. It saves you money on electricity and is a small change you can make to help make a difference.