Green Energy: Technology That Is Good For The Home And The Earth | Green Living

TIP! Solar water heaters are a great option and can significantly decrease the cost involved with heating all of the water in your home. Using gas or electricity to heat water isn’t efficient.

Green energy changes need not be as difficult as they might seem. No matter if the changes you make are small or big, you are positively impacting the environment. The following tips will help you incorporate green energy into your life.

TIP! Unplug your chargers when they aren’t being used to charge your devices. They may not be currently in use, but items such as cell phone chargers, laptops and mp3 players draw energy when left plugged in.

Outdoors, solar-powered lights are very convenient for patios and garden paths. These inexpensive lamps require no external power source and can run entirely on solar power. This not only saves energy. Another added convenience is that they do not require any wiring for you to enjoy outside lighting.

TIP! Wash clothes with cold water, as much as you can. Almost 90% of the energy you use when you do laundry is due to heating water.

Lower the cost of heating your indoor water, pools and hot tubs by switching to solar water heating systems. This is also a very efficient way to heat water and keep it at the proper temperature. While a few of the upgrades are costlier up front, they might be eligible for tax deductions or green energy tax credits.

TIP! Instead of using fuel oil to heat your home, try to make a switch to biodiesel. You might even find that you can switch your system to partial biodiesel without having to purchase parts or hire a contractor to perform modifications.

Become a better energy consumer, and save electricity in your home by unplugging chargers for your electronic devices when you are not using them. All the chargers you use for mp3 players, cell phones, laptops and any other devices draw in some charge when they’re plugged in and aren’t being used.

TIP! Turn you appliances off when you are not using them. When you exit a room, be sure that everything has been fully turned off.

Are you living on a farm? Companies are actually looking for space to put wind turbines in, and a small part of your property can be used as one of those spots. You and the neighbors can benefit from this free installation and energy which won’t take up much space.

TIP! If you have a dishwasher, do not turn it on until it is full. A half load uses the exact same amount of water and energy as a full one.

Maintain your furnace to save energy. Replace filters annually and clean them once a month. Installing the filters in warm-air registers is also a great idea. This will keep everything out of the air ducts, keeping your energy efficiency high.

TIP! A good benchmark to use when determining how much power a new solar system is likely to generate is the number of hours of sunlight in the winter. Using this metric means you will meet your energy needs in the winter, while greatly exceeding them in the summer.

If you use fuel oil to heat your home, ask a professional if you can use biodiesel. Depending on your system, you may be able to switch to biodiesel without having to make any modifications to your system. Biodiesel fuel runs more efficiently and is cleaner for the environment, reducing your home’s impact on the environment during winter months.

TIP! When installing solar panels, ensure that the energy-storing batteries are installed as close to the cells as possible. This helps prevent power loss in the cables.

Make sure your refrigerator is properly maintained. The refrigerator hogs energy, so it should work well. Make certain to clean the dust that surrounds heating coils periodically. Also, make sure that the seal around the door is clean and tight.

TIP! Storm doors and windows can make air flow in the home better. This is because they decrease the amount of cold air circulating through your home.

Electric heaters are an energy hog and should be avoided as much as possible in the winter. They are not environmentally friendly. A fireplace for the living area, wearing warmer clothing and purchasing some slippers are all greener ways of keeping the family warm. Also, it has been shown that people sleep better in cooler temperatures.

TIP! Desktop computers are very power hungry. Try using a laptop as an alternative.

Buy products that save energy so that your home is more energy efficient. Some green items, like environmentally freindly doors, will reduce your energy usage by a lot. When using these types of products you cut down on your heating and cooling costs.

TIP! In order to keep up with energy efficiency goals, compare all your energy bills to previous year to see how much progress you are making. The more aware you are of using energy, the easier it is to reduce your energy use.

Investigate options for heating your oven through solar energy. It’s fairly easy to make a solar oven using a discarded window box lined with foil to reflect the heat. Solar ovens can get hotter than 300 degrees, and doesn’t use any energy source besides the sun, so you are reducing your carbon footprint and saving money.

TIP! Replace old, energy-hogging appliances with new versions that are Energy Star rated. The Energy Star rated appliance is guaranteed to use appreciably less energy than the older non-rated appliance.

There is no need for going green to be difficult. As you can see from the advice above, the thing you can do to make your home just a bit greener are easily found. Remember to use what you have read here today. It won’t be nearly as hard as you thought, and it will produce some very positive effects.