Green energy is increasing in popularity of late, due to the current economic downturn everyone is aware of. Green energy reduces the use of limited natural resources and makes it easier to save money on energy bills. Keep reading this article for more tips on how start living green.
You can cut your energy consumption by a lot if you just cut back on the electricity you use. For example, when an appliance is not in use unplug it. Turn off the TV and lights when they aren’t in use. This simple tip can go a long way in saving you money.
When you’re coming up with a design for your outdoor lighting project, think about getting lamps that are solar powered. These lamps are cheap and don’t require any power besides sun exposure. This will end up saving you a lot of energy. It means you don’t have to wire up outdoor lights.
Olored Clothing
Wear natural fabrics instead of using the air conditioning in the summer. Cotton and linen wick away moisture from your skin so that you stay cooler. You may feel warmer when you wear warm-colored clothing, so wear light-colored clothing in order to use the air conditioner less.
One thing you might consider is heating your water with solar water heaters. This option is only applicable in areas that do not reach freezing temperatures. If you live in a warm climate, you can use a system that pumps your water through the solar heater before coming out of your pipes. If you live in a climate that faces cold winters, also install a traditional heater for your water.
When weather is good, skip the energy-hogging dryer and dry your clothes on an outdoor clothesline. You’ll love how your clothes smell after being sun-dried. You clothes will smell clean and fresh when line dried. Additionally, you will have substantial savings on your utility bills every month that you dry clothes outside.
A solar energy array can be the cheapest way to getting your hot water. Build a hot-water system based on solar energy. There are systems available that circulate the heat both directly and indirectly. If you have concerns about your pipes freezing when it is cold, you should pick an indirect one.
If you are building a new home or are in the market for a new water heater, consider a tankless model. Tankless versions still need electricity or gas to heat water, but they are more effective in heating solely the water necessary instead of a huge tank of water constantly. Tankless heaters can be acquired in models that could give the whole house or even just a single water faucet with water that is hot.
Make energy efficiency a priority by buying products to assist you to reduce energy. If you install double-glazing on your windows, weather-sealed doors, and other similar products, you can drastically decrease the amount of electricity needed for your home. When using these types of products you cut down on your heating and cooling costs.
Opt out of snail mail where possible, and choose to get bills and notices by email. Try to use paper as little as possible. This doesn’t only help you communicate and save electricity, it will lower your bills as well. It also helps save the planet, of course.
Try not putting the temperature up too much, as it may be unnecessary. If you are cold, put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. When you keep the heat unnecessarily high you use far more energy than you need to–and that is expensive!
Solar Oven
Make use of a solar oven for baking needs. Use common household items to make a solar oven. Put a piece of an old window into a box and place foil inside the box to reflect the sun’s rays. These ovens can be quickly assembled, and reach 300 degrees in temperature simply using the sun.
You can use biofuel to heat your house. Biofuel consists of vegetable or animals fats, wood and oils. You can find a professional to change your furnace if it is propane so that it can heat with the blend of fuels. This is between 20 to 99% biodiesel. Because this is a significant alteration, talk with a professional about the substitution before attempting to make any changes on your own.
Use your microwave whenever you can reasonably use it. The stove uses a good bit of energy. If popping items in the microwave can save some energy and time, it is a viable option.
The venerable habit of turning of unnecessary lights when leaving a room is still very effective. Get yourself into the habif of always turning lights off and you can save a lot of energy. Additionally, it decreases your electrical spending.
Consider more efficient home appliances, such as water-saving toilets. Up to half of the water that your household uses is when flushing the toilet. Older models used 5 or more gallons of water to flush; today’s water saving models uses a little over 1.5 gallons per flush. That is a 70 percent water savings.
A great green energy device is the on-demand water heater. Regular hot water heaters keep hot water at a constant temperature, even if you aren’t using it. Water heaters with on-demand technology heat water instantly when needed and reduce energy expenses.
Buy energy-efficient windows and replace your old ones. You’ll not only see a reduction in your energy bill, but you will also reduce carbon dioxide, condensation on the inside of your windows and a reduction of outside noise in your home.
Energy Star
Search for an Energy Star logo when shopping for appliances in order to find the most energy-efficient ones. If the appliance has an ENERGY STAR, it means it meets guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Energy plus the EPA. In many cases, you won’t be able to get a tax rebate from any appliance that doesn’t feature these logos.
The simple tips from this article on green energy will not only save people money, it also lets the environment become much more abundant. If you put these ideas to use, you’ll find that using green energy is easy, efficient and heart-warming.