The average home in the United States spends more than two thousand dollars on energy every year. Over time, that can really add up to substantial amounts of money and excessive abuse to the environment. To discover how to turn your home into a more environmentally friendly place and save you a lot in the process, keep reading.
Use a solar water heater to keep your pools, tubs and plumbing full of piping hot, but cheap, water. Solar water heaters tap into the abundant and free energy offered by the sun. Water heated by other methods, like natural gas, propane, or electricity, is not an efficient method. Although these upgrades could cost a lot, they also might qualify for energy tax deductions.
Try using energy efficient light bulbs or even LED lights in your home to cut costs for lighting. Turning off the lights when you are not in the room also helps to save energy. Keep this in mind when you are leaving home, as simply turning off the lights saves a lot of energy!
Research different types of energy sources which may be available in your area. Look into the cost of operating your home with each of your options, keeping in mind any recent changes to legislation about energy costs. For example, it might be wise to use natural gas instead of electric heat or water from the well rather than city water.
A very easy and cheap way to save on your high energy bills is to try installing some low flow shower heads and faucets. Switching from the standard, 2.5 gallon/minute shower heads, to the low flow 1.5 gallon/minute ones, can help you save a lot with your hot water energy costs.
Make use of fans inside the home. You can easily use floor fans or have a ceiling fan installed to increase airflow inside the home. You can use these even if you already have an air conditioner because you can turn the thermostat higher and just use the fans for air movement.
Replace regular light bulb with Energy Star qualified bulbs. These bulbs last about ten times as long as a traditional incandescent bulb, and use approximately 75 percent less energy, saving you about $30 in energy costs during the lifetime of the bulb. They also emit about 75 percent less heat, and are therefore much safer.
Warm-air registers, radiators, and baseboard heaters need cleaning at least once per year. It is best to clean these at the beginning of the cold season so they are ready to work at top efficiency once the weather turns cold. Clean heating units will distribute the heated energy evenly.
Instead of using a desktop computer, which sucks up more electricity, buy 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!
A high-efficiency furnace becomes far less efficient with a clogged, dirty filter, so change your furnace filters often. This is especially important if you use tightly-woven pleated filters, because the HVAC system must work much harder to draw in air through its tiny openings. Most filters need to be changed or cleaned at least once every 3 months.
Invest in solar power for your home. Adding a few solar panels to your roof can actually decrease the cost of heating or cooling your home by up to 50%! Talk to a professional about where best to install them on your roof, as the placement is very important to get the optimal amount of direct sunlight.
If you are attempting to save more money on your utility bills, try selecting a utility company whose focus is on renewable energy. Renewable energy, such as wind power, can help drastically decrease the amount of energy that is used in the home. As a result, you can experience increased savings.
Develop the habit of shutting off your computer before you leave your home for several hours and before you go to sleep each day to make your home a greener one. Also, set your computer's sleep mode to activate when it is idle for five minutes. If you faithfully practice these two simple acts on a daily basis, you can decrease the energy usage of your computer by 85%.
Pack http://rope-rescue-teams.com/?11095460-fascinating-tips-on-how-to-develop-and-maintain-a-lighting-consulting-business your own lunch when going to work or out for the day. This saves money, but also improves the environment by using less "consumables" that inevitably come with meals ordered out. You can reuse the containers you used for your lunch, and it only takes a small space in your bag or purse.
Try air drying both your dishes and your laundry to cut back on energy used for drying cycles. With the dishes, you need only set your dishwasher to a clean cycle then move the load to your sink-side strainer when it is done. Drying your laundry in the sun not only reduces energy used via your drier, it also results in fresher, less wrinkled clothes.
Think about giving green gifts for presents when you need to buy people gifts. If you are going to a house warming, give them a case of CFL bulbs for their new home or buy your friends reusable stainless steel water bottles. Even if you do not have gifts to give, think about buying them for yourself.
Conserving energy and preserving the earth are the best ways to utilize efficient green energy. While the technology is catching up with the consumer demand, we need to realize that conservation is the best alternative to green energy. If we do not use as much energy, there is not as large of a demand, and we will allow the technology the time it needs to catch up.
A tankless water heater is a great, "green" addition to any house. A tankless heater will heat your water at the source, meaning you aren't storing heated water in a tank until you need to use it. The hot water is available almost immediately. This is an energy efficient option that can be added to most any home.
As stated before, many forms of energy can be found on earth that we use. Many are harmful to the environment, but there are some which are not. The information outlined here should have given you a clearer understanding of these green energy sources and how they can be utilized in place of other energy sources.
