If you are unfamiliar with green energy concepts, read on to find some great information that is simple to understand and simple to implement. It will help you make a difference in the environment, as well as to your home's energy usage. Here are few of the many tips on how to incorporate green energy in your home.
While it is a great idea to turn off your computer when you are not using it, it can be a waste of energy if you do it while you will only be away from it or short periods of time. It is best to wait until before you go to bed when you know there will be hours before you use it again.
If you have a swimming pool, you can save a lot of money by using solar energy to heat the water. Solar heating systems are not more expensive than other solutions and are easier to maintain. These systems also work for your outdoor hot tub. This is probably the best use of solar power.
Find out more about the different energy solutions in your community. Check how much these utilities cost and any tax breaks or laws before making a decision. You might find that you could save money by switching from an electric furnace to a natural gas one, for instance, or from using municipal water to your own well water.
Make small changes if you do not have a lot of money to invest or do not have access to the kind of resources you need. Get a small solar power installation to provide power for one room only, and get a few solar cells to charge your cell phone and other devices, for instance.
Find out more about ground source heat pumps. These pumps are located under your home and pump the natural heat of the earth to keep you warm. This system can be costly but the pumps use very little power and can last up to fifty years. Invest in this system if you are going to stay in a home for decades.
Get your whole family thinking about green energy by stocking organic, recycled or eco-friendly products whenever possible. Ask your kids to identify such products on the shelves at the store and explain why those products are better for your family, your home and your environment. You can also segue such conversations into other eco-friendly practices like shutting off the water while brushing your teeth or turning off lights when not in a room.
Make sure that all heating and cooling units and registers are not blocked by furniture, window treatments, or kid's toys. If a piece of furniture must be placed in front of a baseboard heater, leave a space of two feet. This may seem like a waste of space, but this allows you to avoid wasting energy.
Make sure that all heating and cooling units and registers are not blocked by furniture, window treatments, or kid's toys. If a piece of furniture must be placed in front of a baseboard heater, leave a space of two feet. This may seem like a waste of space, but this allows you to avoid wasting energy.
To help you improve the green energy efficiency of your home, consider installing solar panels in your home. Solar panels are a good source of renewable energy and can be installed at a relatively low cost. In addition, you will reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and other forms of unsustainable energy.
A good green energy solution to replace cleaning products in your home is to use olive oil. By using olive to clean certain things around the home, you are avoiding the synthetic chemicals, compounds and substances that aren't very environmentally friendly which are present in the many household cleaning products you find on the market.
Try using programmable thermostats to save energy inside your home. These let you adjust the times when you can turn on your heater or air-conditioning according to the schedule you set up. As a result, you're not operating anything as much when you're not home, or when you're asleep.
An easy way to make your home greener is to replace your old light fixtures http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html with ones, which are ENERGY STAR qualified. If you are unable to install ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures at the moment, at least replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) which use much less energy.
A great old fashioned way to heat your home and to save on energy is to use a wood burner. There are newer, more modern versions of wood burners called pellet stoves. These stoves burn pellets that are made of compressed sawdust. Both of these methods of heat burn with few emissions and do not require an EPA certification.
Don't use your dishwasher until you have a full load. Make crouse hinds led lighting sure your dishwasher is full before using it, hecause it takes the same amount of water and energy to wash a full load as it does half a load. Use the shortest cycle possible, if you can, turn the dishwasher off prior to the drying cycle, opening the door. This allows the dishes to air dry.
Stay in control of your energy consumption by getting a Bye Bye Standby device. This device is basically a motherboard into which you can plug in all your devices. You will be able to completely turn on and off any device that you are not using through this panel. It also gives you access to information about your power consumption.
Appliances with the Energy Star certification bear a distinctive logo that makes them easy to identify. ENERGY STAR appliances must meet all the guidelines which have been established by the U.S. Department of Energy and additionally the EPA If you want to claim a green energy tax rebate, you'll likely need to buy one of these products to qualify.
Since heating accounts for the largest portion of any home's energy usage, this should be the first system you target when trying to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Look for leaks or insulation issues, place restrictions on thermostat usage and bring in a heating professional to assess the efficiency of your furnace.
Install solar panels on your roof for a greener, more environmentally friendly home. Solar panels are a large investment, but the savings you will enjoy by using solar energy will make up for the extra expenditure. Once solar panels are in place the energy is free, and you might have the chance to sell some of the power to your electric company.
From geothermal power to biomass power, green energy is good for our planet. Now that you've read this article, you can start taking the steps towards using more green energy in your life. You may be just one person, but a little green energy can go a very long way.
