What will green energy help you accomplish? It lowers utility bills and lets you help out the environment. Do you want to know what you can do to help? This article provides several easy-to-use ideas that will enable you to make your contribution.
Consider outdoor lighting, such as garden or patio lighting, that is solar-powered. The solar lamps are relatively inexpensive and will not need any additional power other than direct sunlight. This not only saves money. It means you don’t have to wire up outdoor lights.
Do you have a farm? If so, or if you have family who does, consider renting out some of your land to a company that will install a simple wind turbine. Everyone surrounding the area where these turbines are installed are sure to benefit, and the installation doesn’t take up that much space.
Turn it off. Turn it off. Turn it off. When an area of the home is not being used, make sure that all TVs, lights and computers are turned off. Use a power strip for your home electronics, and turn it off when you aren’t using the equipment. If something is left in standby mode, it is still wasting power.
When thinking about home solar systems, think about how much energy will be produced during winter. When you do this, you understand how much you should be consuming on a daily basis during winter, and you won’t become surprised one day. You may even get rebates from your utility company in summer months if you sign up for net usage and use solar panels.
Make sure that the batteries to store the power are placed as close as possible to the cells when installing your solar energy system. This avoids power loss in the cable. It also reduces shading of the solar shells. Shading reduces solar panel energy generation.
Be sure you maintain your refrigerator properly. Since the fridge consumes lots of energy, it’s key to maintain it in working order. Regularly make sure the heating coils are dust-free. Check frequently to ensure that the door seals tightly.
There are products available for purchase that can help you reduce your energy costs. Look into different green products like eco-friendly doors, double glazed windows, or anything of the sort as they can help reduce the required amount of energy it takes to operate your home. These products will help you reduce the costs of heating and cooling.
Keep track of how many watts you’re using. A gadget like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt will help you discover which appliances are your prime energy consumers. If you connect an appliance to either of these devices, it can calculate the energy savings you could realize over a given period of time if you switched to green power, from an hour to a year. This can let you see how much your devices really cost you.
Heat your home with biofuels. Biofuels consist of vegetable or animal fats, wood and oils. A propane furnace can be converted to use these types of fuels, or fuel blends. Your fuel choices are likely to be between 20 and 99 percent biofuel. Just be sure to consult with a professional before attempting to use this fuel in your home.
Energy Star
Replace your older appliances with the newer, energy-efficient ones that have Energy Star ratings. This rating ensures that the appliance was built to use less energy than the other non Energy Star products. You will find that Energy Star rated refrigerators use about 20% less energy, and clothes washing machines use about 50% less.
One way to use less energy in the kitchen is to use a microwave oven. Each time you cook in the oven or stove, you tend to use lots of energy. So, by microwaving instead, you save a lot of energy.
Energy Consumption
Your electric company can be a great resource for taking a look at how you can make your house energy-efficient. Many electric companies can give you data showing your peak hours of energy consumption and ways to reduce energy consumption. You may also be able to find rebates or other programs to help you get energy-efficient light bulbs or appliances.
Most people know that green energy technologies can save money on energy bills, but many people never actually make the switch because they assume that it is difficult or expensive. This article should have offered some ideas for you to go green!