Transforming your home into an energy efficient one is a great way to help the environment, while saving you money at the same time. This doesn’t mean you must purchase an electric car. Read on for tips on how to make your house energy-efficient.
When drawing up the landscaping plans for a garden path or patio, incorporate solar-powered lamps. These lamps are very cheap, as they require no external power source, just the sun. This not only saves energy. It also means you don’t need to wire your outdoor lights.
Use natural fabrics in the summer instead of turning up the AC. Natural fabrics, including cotton, cause moisture to move away from the body, which means it stays cooler. Wear lighter colored clothes, as darker colors tend to make you feel hotter, which results in your putting on the AC.
Solar Panels
Solar panels that collect solar energy to be used are easy to have installed at your home. Before you do this, you should research just a few things first. Think about the amount of sunlight that hits your house on an average day. 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.
Take the time to clean or replace your furnace every season. Monthly checks will assure your furnace never has to work hard. It’s a good call to add filters to warm air registers. This will help ensure debris doesn’t enter heating ducts, thereby reducing your efficiency.
Storm doors and windows can make air flow in the home better. Storm windows are good at cutting down on the cool air that tries to get in. Energy efficiency improves by 45% when storm doors and windows are implemented, which are big energy savers.
One way to save energy is to limit the use of electrical heaters in the winter. Use a fireplace in place of the heater and wear warm layers of clothing. By inhaling cooler air during the sleeping hours, your breathing will be better as your airways are less likely to get dry.
When doing any updates to your home, look for energy-efficient products. Certain green items, such as eco-friendly windows and doors and double glazed windows, cut down on energy you need to keep your home going efficiently. If you use these products extensively, you will see quite a bit of savings on your energy bills.
The next time you decorate your home or tree for the holiday season, use LED lights instead of standard light strands. Research has shown that in the United States alone, more than two billion kilowatt hours worth of power could be saved if everyone made this transition. Department of Energy, LED lights over the holidays could save as much as two billion kilowatts of energy consumption annually. That is the equivalent to the power it would take to run 200,000 homes for a year. You could reduce the amount of your own utility bill as well.
A really good energy saving tip is to change your boiler. Older boilers are not as energy efficient as new ones because people didn’t worry about the environment when they were made. Not only do the newer ones emit less carbon dioxide and are healthier, they will greatly lower your energy bill costs as well.
A good green energy tip while cooking at home is to use a microwave whenever you can. Your stove and your oven use a significantly higher amount of energy than does your microwave. Whenever possible, heat things in the microwave to cut energy costs.
If you are not in a room, do not keep the lights on. You would be surprised how much energy you could end up saving over time if you get into the habit of turning off your lights. An additional advantage is lower electric bills.
It might be commonly known, but people still do not make sure they turn off lights, machines and various equipment when they aren’t using them. If everyone did this on a regular basis, an enormous amount of energy could be saved. Put the idea in your consciousness and remember to turn them off.
Upgrade your home’s electronics and appliances to save yourself some cash in the future. Though the newer technologies are often much more expensive than standard items, the up-front investment will often save tons later in the form of lower energy bills. It also pays off in the future for the environment.
Energy Star
Energy efficient appliances will feature the bright Energy Star sticker. If your appliance has an ENERGY STAR logo, then it falls within the guidelines set by both the U.S.
Department of Energy and those of the Environmental Protection Agency. ENERGY STAR products are useful for tax credits.
Try setting your heat at 61 degrees or less when you aren’t home, or when you have retired for the night. Keeping your home at this low temperature means very little energy is used. This is a good way to reduce your heating bill considerably.
A simple way to save energy is by thawing all your frozen items in the refrigerator. This is a safe way to that food, but also decreases your fridges temperature. This means less energy is needed.
Make sure the freezer and fridge are located in a place that is cool. If you put your appliances in direct sunlight or on top of a heating vent, the internal temperature can be raised, requiring more electricity to keep your food cool.
Energy Efficient
From switching to energy efficient bulbs to changing out your furnace’s filter, there are a number of simple ways you can make your home more energy efficient. Lead by example and show the easiness of embracing green technology and lifestyle. Remember to start implementing these tips today.
