A lot of homeowners might be a little overwhelmed at the thought of adapting their house to make it greener. It can be very tough to know which changes will make the biggest environmental impact. Read this article for some tips on improving the energy use in your home.
One of the simplest ways to help save the environment is to use less energy. Unplug your electrical appliances from outlets when not in use. When you are no longer using them, turn off lights and the television. This simple tip can save you a lot of money.
If you are thinking of designing your outdoor areas with lighting, consider using solar lamps instead of conventional power. These lamps aren’t costly and do not need additional power sources other than direct sun exposure. You will not only reduce the energy you use. You will not have to hook up the lights to an electrical source.
Maintain your furnace to save energy. Replace filters annually and clean them once a month. It’s a good call to add filters to warm air registers. Having filters prevents debris from building up inside your heating ducts, which would hinder the energy efficiency of your heating system.
A green tankless model of water heater can replace a regular tank styled water heater. Tankless heaters still use electricity or gas to provide hot water, but they only heat the water you actually need. You can purchase a tankless heater for a faucet or your whole home.
When doing any updates to your home, look for energy-efficient products. One of the most popular products to increase the energy efficiency of your home are double-pane windows that have received a high energy star rating. These kinds of products can cut down dramatically on your cooling and heating costs.
Opt to receive as much correspondence as you can through email. Going paperless can help the environment in many ways. This kills two birds with one stone: you save energy and encourage businesses with whom you correspond to do so, as well. Not only that, it is also great for the environment too.
Consider using a solar oven to bake with. These can even be made yourself using items such as a box, a discarded window, and some tin foil. These makeshift ovens can achieve temperatures of 300 degrees or more with no help from traditional energy sources, and they are simple to produce.
Keep an eye on how many watts of electricity you use. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. When you plug an electrical appliance into the monitor, it displays how much energy it requires each hour, month, or year. This gives you a much better idea of the real costs associated with each appliance you own.
Think about using a carpool for work and other activities in order to reduce the amount of fuel you use. Talk with other parents and try to arrange a carpool schedule so that you all take turns driving your kids to school. Join with friends and family to do grocery shopping, visit the mall or even go to the movies.
Less Energy
If you’re in the market for new appliances, make sure they have a high Energy Star rating. The Energy Star rating guarantees that the appliance you are using has been built to use much less energy than its non-rated predecessor. Energy Star ratings promise 40% less energy for dishwashers and 50% less for washing machines.
Water-saving toilets are easy to find and install. Toilets account for fifty percent of the water used in a home. An older model uses 5 gallons of water per flush, whereas a water-saving model only uses 1.6 gallons, saving about 70 percent on your yearly water use.
If you can, replace your old windows with the more efficient new styles. Not only will you reduce your energy bills, you will enjoy a much quieter home. You will also have a lot less condensation, resulting in less mold growth and water damage.
Use motion detection sensors on lights in the most popular rooms of your house. The sensors will make sure that there is no light in rooms that aren’t being used, and that will save energy and a great deal of money! Remember the lighting outside, too.
Solar Panels
If you are planning to make your home a greener one, consider adding solar panels to your roof. Although the upfront costs for solar panels are significant, they will pay for themselves in just a few years. Once the panels are in place, solar power is free. In some cases, you might be able to sell excess power your panels produce to local utility companies.
You can increase the energy efficiency of your home with proper weatherization procedures. Weatherization involves retrofitting the heating and cooling systems for energy efficiency, upgrading the insulation, sealing ducts, and installing energy-efficient windows. All of these things make your home more energy efficient. this will also lead to a decrease in your energy bill.
There are a lot of things you can do to save energy when you wash your laundry. Most dryers have a moisture setting that will shut your dryer off when the clothes are dry. Make use of the high-spin speed in reducing the moisture in clothes. This will shorten your drying time. Be certain that you use clean filters for your dryer and also check for a blockage in dryer vents.
Of course, no home’s energy usage is exactly the same. These differences will make green-energy technology needs vary. Not every method will be right for every home. Find tips that work in your home and use them!
