Green energy is a great way to help the environment while also providing benefits for your home. Change some small things in the home to save on your energy costs. Read the tips in this article so you can learn how to conserve energy.
Find out about various energy sources that are available in your area. Checking the costs of running a home with utilities should also include recent legislation about energy costs. You may find that switching to one or another may provide a reduction in energy use and cost.
Instead of using the dryer, dry your laundry outdoors when weather permits. You’ll love how your clothes smell after being sun-dried. Line-dried items will be just as clean and dry as they would be if you used the dryer, but they will also smell so much fresher. You can also save money on your energy bills.
It’s important to maintain your refrigerator properly. Since the fridge consumes lots of energy, it’s key to maintain it in working order. Every week, check and see if dust has accumulated near the heating coils. If it has, take the time to remove it. Inspect the door’s seal for tightness and cleanliness.
Try to communicate more via email. In other words, choose paperless options anytime you can. This helps to lower the energy costs of businesses as they communicate, and you can save energy as well. In addition, it also protects the environment.
Watch how many watts you use. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. You can tell how much energy it uses by plugging the appliance into it. It gives concrete information about how much energy the appliance is wasting.
Percent Less Energy
Energy Star appliances help save energy. This rating will guarantee than your appliance is using less energy! For freezers and refrigerators the rating guarantees 20 percent less energy utilized, dishwashers 40 percent, and washing machines as much as 50 percent less energy used!
Install a water-saving toilet. People have estimated that you flush about 50% of the water from your house down the toilet. Five gallons is the typical amount used by older models, while low-flow toilets consume about 1.6 gallons per flush.
Consider switching out your home’s older windows with newer ones that are rated for superior energy efficiency. New windows provide a variety of benefits, including reduced energy bills, less noise pollution from outside, less carbon dioxide in your home, and less window condensation.
Energy Star
Search for an Energy Star logo when shopping for appliances in order to find the most energy-efficient ones. Appliances that designate themselves as being ENERGY STAR compliant are those that have met guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA. The products with this distinction are often the only eligible ones that can be used for tax rebates.
Use automatic light sensors that have motion detectors for your busiest rooms. These motion sensor lights will turn off lights in rooms that are not in use automatically, which in turn, will save you money with your energy bills. Use these sensors on outdoor garage lighting, as well.
You can drastically reduce your heating bill using room-specific heat sources. To do this, your home will need a board that makes it possible to control the heating for different areas of your home. This is a wonderful solution for larger homes.
Ceiling fans should also be used in the winter. Warm air is pushed down when the fan is running in a clockwise rotation. The little electricity used to run your fan is offset by what you save with your energy costs due to needing the furnace less often.
One way to save money on energy costs is to drop the temperature to 120 degrees on the water heater. This can cut your power bill down by about 10 percent and still fulfill your hot water needs.
Ice Makers
You should make ice yourself if you want to reduce the amount of energy you use. Automatic ice makers often use excess energy and are prone to breaking down. Another downfall to ice makers is that they can break or leak. If you make your own ice, you won’t have these problems.
Stop using bottled water. Bottled water is generally tap water for a city’s water supply, and the the whole bottling process uses too much energy. If you think your community’s tap water is either unhealthy or tastes bad, buy a metal water bottle that can be used over and over again, and invest in a replaceable filter.
A programmable thermostat is a great way to save energy and lower your utility bills. Programmable thermostats regulate your home’s temperatures in your absence or while you’re sleeping so that you are not cooling or heating your home when it’s not necessary. In order to conserve power, the newest models allow you to program them for various start and end times for different days of the week.
As you can now see, you do not have to spend a lot of money to go green. Making a few easy changes can lower your electricity usage and save you money. Keep these tips in mind, apply them and let your friends know about your good resolutions so that you can all assist the environment.
