You can protect the environment, as well as saving on energy costs, by using green energy at home. You do not have to buy electric cars to make this possible. This article has some great, simple ways to improve energy efficiency.
If you want to preserve energy, keep your windows so they are shaded from sunlight. Use curtains or blinds as an alternative. If you do both of these it will cool your house down so you won’t have to use as much air conditioning in the summer. By blocking the sun’s rays, you will save energy and money.
Solar Panels
Solar panels are an easy addition to your home that helps you and your family go green. However, there are several things to consider before making any decisions. The major thing you have to consider before going ahead with solar panels is the amount of sunlight your home gets over the course of a day. If you home is under a lot of shade, or in an area where you do not have a lot of sunny days, the power gained from your solar unit will not be very significant.
Whenever possible, use cold water to wash your clothing. Having heated water in your washer can use up to nine-tenths of the energy required to run a washing machine. Good detergents wash clothes even in cold water. Additionally, do not run the washer until it is full so as to maximize your energy use.
Find out more about the different energy solutions in your community. Compare the costs of operating your home using several of these utilities, making sure to take into consideration any legislation with regard to energy costs that has recently been passed. Think about switching to natural gas or well water as examples of simple changes.
Don’t run your dishwasher if it is less than totally full. Regardless of how many dishes are inside, equal amounts of water and energy are used. When you do run the dishwasher, make sure to use the energy saving setting, which will allow your dishes to air-dry.
Put the solar energy system’s batteries close to its cells during installation. Doing so removes the chance of lost energy. It can also reduce the chance of a cable shading a cell, and reducing its generation capability.
Passive Systems
Spend time in order to learn the difference between passive and active solar power. Active systems store the solar energy for use later, while passive systems just use the sun’s heat as energy. Active power needs solar panels installed, cells, and mechanical systems. Passive systems use the sun’s rays to store energy withing the walls of your home and are significantly cheaper.
Before you decide on large energy-saving projects for your home, get a professional evaluation of your existing appliances, windows and insulation and your heating and cooling systems. They should be able to inform you about extra expenses you are paying for inefficient appliances, as well as the amount it would cost to upgrade to newer, energy-efficient models.
Opt for emails over paper whenever possible; get on no-mail lists for catalogs and junk mail. Going paperless can help the environment in many ways. You help both you and other businesses you communicate with save resources and energy. It also helps save the planet, of course.
Take the time to evaluate your watt usage. Devices like Watt Minder and Kill-A-Watt can help you determine the highest energy-usage culprits in your home. Gadgets can be set to give you the energy-usage amounts for hours, months or years. This will make you realize what a given appliance costs you over the long run.
Use LED lights on the holidays to save electricity. The use of LED lights reduces the use of electricity according to research. Department of Energy, LED lights over the holidays could save as much as two billion kilowatts of energy consumption annually. That amount of power could run 200,000 homes for one full year. All that said, you can at least save some money on your own energy costs!
There are many ways to lower your energy bills and be more environmentally friendly. Use the tips here, both small and large, and you are on your way to becoming “green.” Show other people how easy being green is. Keep these tips in mind and put them to good use today.
Most people want to know about The Power Efficiency Guide, but do not always know how to go about it on there own. This article definitely has the wisdom that you seek. You can use the information you have learned here!
