Making these switches to your home can be overwhelming. It is tough to understand where to start and how to improve the environment (and your life) the most. Read the following green energy tips to get a better idea of where to start.
Have solar panels installed on your home for an easy, renewable way to power some or all of your home’s appliances. Before you do this, you should research just a few things first. How much sun is your house getting on average? You can’t take as much advantage of solar energy if your house gets a lot of shade rather than sun.
Conserve energy by unplugging chargers when you aren’t using them. Cell phone and mp3 chargers draw energy even if they aren’t charging anything.
Do you have your own farm? If you do happen to own some farmland, try renting some of the land to a power company that specializes in wind energy solutions. Your home and the surrounding residences will get some free power. Don’t worry, wind turbines don’t take up a lot of room.
If your home is heated with fuel oil, ask a technician if you can switch to biodiesel. Many systems allow a switch to biodiesel or biofuel with slight modifications. Biodiesel is a clean choice when it comes to fuel, and using it will reduce the impact that your family has on the environment.
Cover your windows when you are away from home. This will help save energy. This keeps your house cool and your energy costs down when you’re not there. More often than not, south-facing windows will let in the most sun due to their positioning. Try adding window coverings that block heat, such as shades or darker, lined curtains.
Only run your dishwasher when it is completely full. Never run it with just a few dishes inside. The dishwasher can actually fit a lot of dishes when loaded correctly. Align the dishes so several can fit inside.
If you clean your dishes using a dishwasher, refrain from doing a load until the dishwasher is completely full of dishes. Your dishwasher consumes the same energy and water, even if it is half full. When you do operate your dishwasher, be sure to make use of the energy-saving feature, which air-dries your dishes.
When doing any updates to your home, look for energy-efficient products. 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. These kinds of products can cut down dramatically on your cooling and heating costs.
Instead of using a desktop computer, which sucks up more electricity, buy a laptop. This can lower your electrical use by as much as 75%, particularly if you are someone who stays on the Internet for long periods of time. Plus you can take your laptop anywhere.
Energy Star
Replace old appliances with those labeled Energy Star. This rating ensures that the appliance was built to use less energy than the other non Energy Star products. For your refrigerator/freezer, Energy star appliances promise to cut energy usage by 20%, and you will see 40% and 50% energy usage, respectively, in Energy Star dishwashers and washing machines.
Use a microwave as often as you can to save energy at home. When cooking on, or within, the stove, a lot of energy is used. If you can cook things in the microwave instead, do it! This will help save a lot of energy.
When buying wood, think about buying bamboo. Bamboo is technically grass, yet it is a lot stronger than a most of the wood you’ll find. Bamboo is becoming very popular and growing to be made for cutting boards for hard wood floors. This saves energy on the recycling and production end of manufacturing products.
It will pay off over time if you spend more on green efficient products in the future. Oftentimes, green technologies are a bit more expensive than their traditional counterpart; however, investing in green electronics and appliances will pay off with savings from decreased energy consumption. This will pay off for the environment, too.
Always maintain modern, energy-efficient windows at home. When you use these type of windows you can notice a significant different in things like your energy bill, less condensation right on your windows, a quieter home, and one thing that you can’t see is less carbon dioxide in your home.
Check your refrigerator seals to avoid wasted energy. A break in the seal can use an unnecessary usage of power, which is a waste of energy as well as money. You can test your seal easily with a piece of paper placed in the door. Be sure that it doesn’t slide out easily.
One way to reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator/freezer uses is to periodically thaw foods stored in the refrigerator that have frozen. Not only is this a safer way to thaw out food, but the cold air released by the frozen food will help keep your refrigerator cool, reducing the total energy consumption that is required.
If you lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees you can save money and be green together. By doing this you could save up to 10 percent off your electric bill, while still having comfortable enough water to cook and shower with.
Each and every home is individual in some way. It is important to keep these parameters in mind when choosing a technology. Some green technologies are suitable for every home, while others won’t be. Use the advice that works in your situation and come up with some of your own money saving, earth friendly tips.
