Green Energy – Simple Solutions To Save Money While Helping The Environment

green energy simple solutions to save money while helping the environment

If you want to learn how to go green with your energy usage around the house, continue on for some helpful tips that will show you how to go about accomplishing this.

Think about getting solar powered lamps for outdoor lighting. They don’t use any energy other than solar energy and they are cost effective. They also save energy. Another added convenience is that they do not require any wiring for you to enjoy outside lighting.

Simply cutting back on the amount of electricity you use on a daily basis can save lots of energy. Unplug appliances when you’re not using them for awhile. Turn off lights and the television when you leave. This simple tip will save cash as well.

Solar panels are easy to install and can collect sunlight for energy. It is important, however, that you do your homework before making the leap. How much sun is your house getting on average? 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.

Window Coverings

Consume energy more wisely by unplugging your device chargers when they are not in use. Your charger still uses energy while it’s plugged in, even if it isn’t charging anything.

Use window coverings when you aren’t home. This keeps your house and lowers energy costs down when you’re not there. Try adding window coverings that block heat, such as shades or darker, and dark curtains.

Do you have a large plot of land? Consider renting out a small space where a power company can place a wind turbine. You and the neighbors can relish in the free energy and installation, if it doesn’t require too much space.

Consider switching to solar-powered water heaters to make your home. If you live in a sunny climate, try installing a system that uses a solar heater. However, it’s best to keep a traditional heater for times when you need a lot of heated water, or if the sun does not come out for some time.

Maintain your furnace to save energy. Replace filters annually and clean them once a month. Also install filters on air registers. This will prevent a reduction in efficiency, which occurs when the heating ducts get clogged with debris.

Find out about the various energy solutions in your community. Compare the costs of operating your home using several of these utilities, and take current or pending energy legislation into consideration. You may find that switching to one or natural gas heat.

Use windows covering for when you’re not home. This cools your home’s interior and keeps energy usage down while you’re away. More often than not, south-facing windows will let in the most sun due to their positioning. Use dark curtains, roman shades, roller shades or other coverings on all windows.

Don’t run the dishwasher if it is less than totally full. It consumes the exact same quantity of electricity and water or energy even if one dish is in it. When you do use the dishwasher, it is also important to use the main energy-saving feature, which allows the air-drying of your dishes.

If you are aiming to save energy and money, try running the dishwasher only when the load is completely full. It is wasteful to run the dishwasher with just a few items inside. If you do this, you’ll become used to filling the dishwasher with as many dishes as you can. Set up the plates so that you fill it up as much as possible.

Use a tankless water heater instead of a tank. Tankless water heaters do require energy for operation, but they heat only the water that you want to use, rather than heating a tank of water that you’re not always using. Tankless heaters are available in models that supply the entire home or certain faucets.

Storm doors and windows help control air flow into a home. Storm doors and windows will reduce the entrance of drafts and cold air. Energy efficiency increases by 45% in houses that contain stormed windows and doors, which could save you lots of money when it comes to electricity.

One of the simplest ways that you can go green is by dressing more warmly. A sweater that is light can provide 2 degrees of extra warmth, while a heavier item will add four. You don’t need to be cold at home, so save money by putting on a sweater and turning down the heat!

Use electric heating sparingly in the winter. Dress more warmly when around the house. Wear slippers and a heavy top, and light up your fireplace or pellet stove for increased warmth at low cost. It helps breathing, and prevents dry airways if you make the air cooler during sleeping.

Learn the differences between passive and active solar power.Passive systems simply use the sun’s energy to heat your house.

Do some research and learn about passive and active solar powers. Active power is energy that gets stored and is used later. Passive is energy that can be used without expensive cells. In order to use active power, you will need to install a few things, including solar cells, mechanical systems, and most importantly, solar panels. While passive is simply using the sun to store thermal energy inside your walls to heat your home with.

Try receiving as much as possible through email rather than traditional means. In short, go paperless as much as possible.

Check and manage your watt usage. Try using gadgets like the Kill-A-Watt and the Watt Minder to see what in your home uses too much energy. Plug your appliances into these devices and they can let you know how much energy they use in an hour, a month, or a year. This can let you see how much your devices really cost you.

Write a reminder to remain on top of goals for energy efficiency, and check every utility bill against the previous year’s to see if you are making gains.For example, if your stated goal is to reduce your consumption of electricity and water, it’s more likely that you will also try to use appliances and lights less often.

Keep a record of your energy efficiency goals. Each month, check your utility bills to check your year-over-year progress with regard to saving energy. Be more conscious of energy usage so you can reduce it. For example, if you make a conscious effort to cut down on your water or electricity usage, then you are more likely to make a habit out of shutting off unused lights or appliances.

Use the microwave as much as you can to save energy consumption. Ovens use lots more energy to prepare food than the microwave for cooking. Take advantage of the microwave whenever you can.

Use LED lights on the holidays to save electricity. LED’s have been shown to save a significant amount of energy. One study conducted by the Department of Energy found that if everyone in the U.S. switched to these lights, more than two billion kilowatt hours worth of power would be saved. That’s enough to power a quarter of a million houses for a year! At least you will be saving money on your power bill.

The venerable habit of turning of unnecessary lights when you exit a room is still very effective. Turning off lights habitually will save a surprising amount of energy. You will also see a decrease in your electric bill.

If you really want to take a bit out of your fuel consumption, try making more extensive use of carpools, even to destinations other than the office. Kids can also form carpools to school by alternating parents days. Join with friends and family to do grocery shopping, visit the mall or even go to the movies.

Sealing Ducts

Use an on-demand water heater to save energy. Old fashioned water heaters would constantly run, heating water even when it is not needed, and therefore wasting energy. These heaters only heat water when necessary, which will increase your energy savings.

You can greatly reduce your home’s energy by sealing ducts, add in insulation, and by adding insulation and sealing ducts. You may also see real savings on your energy bill in the process.

Though you may not have the option of whole-home supply through renewable energy, you can consider incorporating something like solar power to offset some utility cost. For instance, you can install just enough solar panels to heat your hot water.

Heat each individual room of your home separately to save heating costs. This is a good solution if you have large homes.

A good green energy tip that will also save you some money is to reduce the temperature to 120 degrees on the water heater. This can cut your monthly electric bill by up to 10 percent for a four person family.

Make full use of ceiling fans during cold weather. Switch them to go clockwise and they will help push the warm air down, which pushes warm air down.

Try collecting rainwater for use in appliances, like your toilet. Your water bill will decrease and this also benefits the environment. There are many ways to collect rainwater, including sitting glass jars outside to collect rain. Once the jars are filled, simply close the lids.

You can also save money when it comes to you electricity bill by installing a programmable thermostat at home. These types of thermostats have settings to regulate the air temperature in your home year-round. You can also make them regulate temperatures during different times of day.

Make use of watch dog legislation in order to encourage companies to use green energy. Awareness of the energy policies of companies is an effective tool and should be fully utilized. When you know that a company is not acting in the community’s best interest by using sound, green technology, you might think twice about doing business with them. Green practices will become more popular if customers start caring more about what a company is doing to save the environment.

The sooner you start using green energy, the sooner both you and the environment will start seeing the benefits. Being environmentally friendly does not take an advanced degree or a scientific background. Use the tips presented here that fit your own situation, and incorporate them into your life. It’s easier than you think.

Lighting that is environmentally friendly should be examined. There are alternatives to incandescent lighting, such as using longer-lasting fluorescent bulbs. They provide an adequate amount of light while using a fraction of the energy necessary for regular bulbs. You can help your home remain environmentally friendly in the process.

green energy simple solutions to save money while helping the environment 1