Taking care of the Earth should be a priority. There are a variety of methods you can use to be environmentally friendly. Are you wondering how to go green? Reading on will help you learn more.
Shade the windows from sunlight to conserve energy in summer. Installing blinds and curtains will also help. When you do these things, you then make your house cooler and reduce the amount of air conditioning you use during the summer. You will save energy, as well as money.
Solar Panels
Solar panels can be an excellent investment for the typical homeowner. There are some things that should be further looked in to before doing this. Think about how much sun your house typically gets. If you home is shaded, the amount of energy collected from solar panels will be greatly reduced.
Do you have a lot of land? If you or someone you know does, you can rent a piece of your land to a company looking to put in a wind turbine. The wind turbine will provide free energy without taking up much room. Your neighbors will also benefit from this energy source.
If you are not using something, turn it off. When you are ready to leave a room, go around and turn off appliances such as computers, televisions, and most importantly, the overhead light. 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.
You can obtain hot water for a cheap cost with solar energy. Install a water heating system that uses solar power. You have the choice for an indirect or direct circulation system. If you have been plagued by frozen or broken pipes in the past, an indirect one could be for you.
Consider how many hours of sunlight you can expect in the winter as you plan your solar system, so that you know how much energy you can expect it to generate. This prevents any unanticipated effects from a winter months, and it keeps you ahead of the game for summer months. Combining this method with a net utilities plan will mean getting back money from the electric company during the summer, too.
Storm Windows
To help prevent drafts, install storm doors and storm windows. This is because storm windows and doors prevent drafts, which means less cold air enters the home. Your home’s energy efficiency will increase by as much as 45% if you install storm windows and doors!
Instead of utilizing a desktop computer which eat up lots more energy, purchase a laptop. Making this switch can reduce your power consumption by up to 75%. This is especially true if you are an Internet addict or do heavy word processing. An added bonus is the portability of a laptop- you can take it anywhere you go!
If you are serious about becoming more green, you should keep track of your energy usage from month-to-month and then year-to-year. When you’re more conscious of the energy you consume you can help to reduce costs in all areas of your life. For instance, reducing your electricity or water usage will get you into the habit of turning off appliance and lights when not used.
Use the microwave instead if you’d like to save energy. Any time you cook something on the stove or in the oven it tends to use up a ton of energy. If you can cook things in the microwave instead, do it! This will help save a lot of energy.
One of the simplest ways to be environmentally friendly is to install a water-saving toilet. It’s estimated that as much as fifty percent of your water usage comes from the toilet. A traditional toilet uses up to 5 gallons for each flush of the toilet, but the newer models use as little at 1.6 gallons, which is a savings of 3.4 gallons with each flush.
Consider replacing your wooden products with bamboo when buying new. Bamboo, which is actually a grass, is very energy-efficient. It is also quite strong compared to woods commonly used to build furniture. Since it grows so quickly, it can cheaply and efficiently be made into all kinds of home goods without damaging the environment. This saves on recycling energy and the production of manufacturing products.
A great way to conserve energy at home is by setting your thermostat to 60 degrees if you are not at your house or if you are sleeping. If you heat is set at 60, you are not using much energy. You can minimize energy usage and save money.
Make your home greener by adding solar panels. There is of course an initial investment that is not cheap, however, long term use and the resulting savings, will far outweigh the up-front cost. Not only will the energy you generate take care of your electric bill, there may even be some left over to sell to your electric company.
Sealing your home from the weather will help conserve energy. Seal the ducts, add insulation and install energy-efficient windows, and you will consume much less energy. In addition, you will reduce your energy bill quite a bit.
Now more than ever, it’s important that we make the transition to greener forms of energy. While every power source leaves some kind of footprint on the environment, green energy sources allow you to reduce the amount of damage done. Now that you have some tips to work with, you know how to be a little greener.
