The web is awash with information about environmentally-friendly technologies. This information overload can make it difficult to determine which green technology is best suited for your living situation. Here are the basics so that you can start using more green energy yourself.
Think about getting solar powered lamps for outdoor lighting. This type of lamp is cost-effective and needs no power other than sunlight. This will save a lot of energy. It also means that you avoid having to go outside and wire up outdoor lights.
By cutting back on electricity use, you will save quite a bit of money. Unplug alliances when they are not being used. When you aren’t using your television, computer equipment or lights, don’t forget to turn them off. This is an excellent way of saving yourself some money.
Switch to water heating systems that use solar power to heat hot tubs, pools and indoor water. Solar water heaters use the sun’s energy to heat water resulting in energy savings. Certain upgrades, though expensive, qualify for specific tax deductions.
Reduce the price of heating water in pools, hot tubs and inside your home by using solar-powered heating systems. 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. In the United States there are many tax deductions for energy efficient green products.
Reduce your energy consumption by unplugging anything that is not in use, especially battery chargers. Chargers for your electronics, such as an iPod or cell phone, are always using electricity, even when they’re not in use, so unplug them when you can.
Whenever possible, you should use cold water to wash your clothes. Almost 90% of energy used for doing laundry is due to heating the water. If your detergent is of good quality, you should have no problems using cold water. Furthermore, bear in mind that you will get maximum efficiency from washing a load that is full, rather then multiple small loads.
If you use oil to heat your home, see if biofuel can be used instead. Some systems can easily be changed to biodiesel without having to make major modifications or installing extra parts. When you use biodiesel it burns a lot cleaner than conventional petroleum, which reduces the impact your home has on energy during the colder months of the year.
During the summer time, you should consider drying your clothes using the sun as opposed to using the dryer. The sun gives your clothes a great smell. Your clothes will smell fresher when dried naturally rather than in the dryer. In addition, you will save a lot of money on your monthly utility bills.
Use windows covering for when you’re not home. This keeps your house cool and your energy costs down when you’re not there. Windows that face south tend to get more sun due to their orientation. Try adding window coverings that block heat, such as shades or darker, lined curtains.
Solar power can heat water for a low cost. Upgrade your hot water system to one that’s solar-powered. You have the choice for an indirect or direct circulation system. Indirect systems are the best if you have frozen pipes during the winter.
Use solar energy to provide hot water cheaply. There are many solar hot-water appliances to get the job done. There are direct circulation systems as well as indirect systems. For colder regions,indirect is a better option.
When determining the economical impact of a PV solar system, be sure to run a calculation using the hours of winter sunlight. This will guarantee that you will have energy no matter what the weather brings, and it will result in a surplus during the summer. And even more exciting, on some plans, you can receive money from utility companies if you use less energy than you generate.
When you install a solar energy system, place the batteries close to the cells. Doing so removes the chance of lost energy. You also will not have to worry about the cells being shaded by a cable and not producing as much energy as they could.
When you install a solar energy system, place the batteries close to the cells. This prevents power from getting lost in the cables. This also prevents the long cables from casting shadows over the PV cells.
Storm doors and windows offer better air flow in the home. This is because they decrease the amount of cold air circulating through your home. If you use storm doors or windows, you can save at least 45 percent on your electricity bills.
Make sure your refrigerator is properly maintained. Refrigerators take lots of energy to run, so it’s crucial to make sure it is running effectively. Make sure to clean heating coils often. Also, make sure that the seal around the door is clean and tight.
Use electric heating sparingly in the winter. Use a fireplace in place of the heater and wear warm layers of clothing. Remember, cooler air during sleep is better for breathing, and keeps the airways from drying out.
Passive Solar Power
Have the bulk of your correspondence sent to your email. So, try your best to be as paperless as you possibly can. This will save the businesses you deal with a great deal on energy costs and mailing expenses. An added bonus is that everyone benefits by the protection of our environment.
Take the time to learn about active, and passive solar power. Active power can be stored for later use. Passive power must be utilized more quickly but no expensive storage cells are required. Active solar power needs to have cells, mechanical systems, and solar panels installed. Passive solar power, on the other hand, just draws heat from the sun and stores it in your walls for heating purposes.
Watch your watt usage. Watt Minder and Kill-A-Watt are both tools that help to monitor energy consumption. Plus an appliance into the gadget and it will tell you how much energy it is using. With that information, you will be able to calculate how much that appliance costs to operate.
Use e-mail over snail mail as much as possible. In other words, go paperless as much as possible. This helps businesses to save energy as well as consumers. In addition, it will help protect the environment for all.
If you’re one of many who wants to live an environmentally friendly life, there’s plenty you can do. While you might not have much money to spend on going green, you can begin by cleaning up furnace filters every month and set the heat to 60 degrees when you aren’t home. Setting your water heater’s temperature to a maximum 120 degrees will also save money. Every little thing you do helps!
A solar oven is a fun and effective way to reduce your energy needs for cooking. You can make this by using a piece of foil, a box, and an old window. These makeshift ovens can achieve temperatures of 300 degrees or more with no help from traditional energy sources, and they are simple to produce.
A good, old common sense tip for saving energy is turning off the lights as you leave the room. Just turning off lights helps to conserve quite a bit of energy. Additionally, it decreases your electrical spending.
When you exit a room, turn off the lights. Shutting off your lights when you leave a room is a simple act, but it will surprise you by the amount of energy it saves. You also will be saving money when it comes to your power bill.
Try a water-saving commode in your bathroom. Some estimates report that about half of the water consumption in a home is from the toilet. Older toilets use 5 gallons per flush, whereas new models use less than 2 gallons.
An on-demand water heater is a very effective energy saver. Traditional water heaters constantly keep a full tank of water hot, which sits idle until it is used. Water heaters that are on-demand, heat water when hot water is needed, and helps save money in energy costs.
Although it is probably common sense, usually, most people forget to shut off lights and electronics when not using them. If you make this a habit, your energy bills could be greatly reduced. Think before you act, and turn things off when not using them.
The extra money that you may spend will quickly come back to you. Since you won’t pay as much on utilities, it is worth spending more money on green technologies initially. It also has the long-term benefit of saving the planet.
Solar panels can be added to your home as an easy green energy source. Although the upfront costs for solar panels are significant, they will pay for themselves in just a few years. After the panels are installed, solar energy is pretty much free. You may even be able to sell some of this energy to your local electric company.
There are many opportunities to do your laundry and save some energy too. Use moisture control settings so the dryer shuts off when your clothes are dry. Use the high-spin option, which reduces the moisture in the laundry, which helps to shorten drying time. Always make sure that the dryer filters are clean and that there are no clogs in the vent.
You can increase the energy efficiency of your home with proper weatherization procedures. Sealing ducts, using energy-efficient windows, and adding insulation can reduce energy consumption. This will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home, thereby, saving you money on your utility bills.
Purchase a home energy monitor to keep tabs on the energy your home uses. These devices collect data about how much electricity your home is using, and provide an estimate of the next month’s bill based on this information. It has been proven that people use less energy when they have a clear idea of how much it cost to use the energy.
To make you home greener, install a programmable thermostat. It can save you a significant sum of money your monthly energy bills. These thermostats are programmed to regulate temperature inside your house both during the winter and summer months. Depending on your preferences, you could also set it to change temperatures for day or night.
A programmable thermostat will help your green energy effort in your home. Programmable models allow you to automatically set the temperature for times when you are away from home or sleeping, so you are not needlessly heating or cooling an empty home. Some of the newer models available now can be set differently for each day of the week, helping you conserve even more energy.
There are many techniques to save energy when doing your laundry. Use the setting on your dryer that will turn it off when clothes are dry. Use the high-spin speed to reduce moisture in clothes and thereby shorten drying time. Be sure to clean dryer filters and check for blockages in the dryer vent.
Although researching the many green energy technologies can be a bore, putting the tips that you learned in this article to use in your home will be fun! Not only are they very easy, but they are affordable changes that you can start making today. Both your family and the planet will benefit.
One way to reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator/freezer uses is to periodically thaw foods stored in the refrigerator that have frozen. This not only thaws the food out in a safer manner, but also, the cold air that is released will make the refrigerator cooler, which means you spend less energy cooling it.
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