Keeping a home that is green is a great way to ensure the environment is protected, while also helping to lower your own energy costs. An electric car is not a must-have in order to help. Continue reading to learn some easy ways you can use more green energy, regardless of your budget.
Switch to solar heating systems for water to lower your cost of indoor water. Heating water with natural gas or electricity is not that efficient, but with solar energy, water takes the suns energy and keeps temperatures steady. These upgrades may cost more, but qualify for tax deductions, too.
Solar panels can be an excellent investment for the typical homeowner. However, before you do this, there are a few things that you need to take care of. Think about how much sun your house typically gets. If you live in an area that gets few sunny days, or your property is full of shade trees and tall bushes, you will have trouble gaining enough solar power for your needs.
Replace or clean your furnace filters yearly, and recheck them monthly. Filters can also be installed in every warm-air register. This not only helps keep debris (and kids’ toys) from entering heating ducts, which reduces efficiency.
Wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible. Almost 90% of energy used for doing laundry is due to heating the water. Washing clothes in cold water can be just as effective as a warm cycle, especially with today’s cold water detergents. Additionally, it is more energy-efficient if you are washing full loads instead of small ones.
Save money and energy by only running your dishwasher with a full load of dishes. Don’t run it when there are a low number of dishes present. You may be quite surprised at the number of dishes your dishwasher can handle in one load. Just make sure to align the dishes in an orderly manner to maximize the available space.
When planning the solar system used in the home, use winter sunshine hours to determine what potential energy generation will be. This will guarantee you energy no matter the weather, and it will have you entering the summer safely without energy concerns as well. Combining this method with a net utilities plan will mean getting back money from the electric company during the summer, too.
Use a green and tankless model as opposed to a tank-style water heater. Although they still use gas or electricity, they only heat on demand rather than maintaining an entire tank of hot water at all times. You can find tankless heaters that either supply an entire house, or just a single faucet.
Dress in warm clothes to cut costs! By simply putting on a sweater, you can improve your heated temperature by between 2 to 4 degrees. The more layers you wear at home, the less energy you will need to use heating your house.
Don’t turn up the heat very high. If you’re chilly, add a layer of clothing, such as a sweatshirt and some sweatpants. When heat is turned very high, vast amounts of energy are wasted.
A solar oven can be an easy and free way to bake. You can make one from an old window, cardboard box, and tin foil. The oven can heat up to well over 300 degrees using no electricity!
Keep track of your watt usage. Devices like Watt Minder and Kill-A-Watt can help you determine the highest energy-usage culprits in your home. Plug your appliance or gadget into the watt-checking device, and it will tell you how much the unit consumes in energy in one hour, month or year. This can let you see how much your devices really cost you.
You can conserve energy by doing things like using more efficient light bulbs, changing your furnace’s filter, and installing a thermostat that is programmable. Lead by example and show the easiness of embracing green technology and lifestyle. Keep the tips that were presented to you in mind and put them to use right away.
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