How can green energy improve your life? It can reduce your reliance on the almighty electrical grid, lower your energy bills and reduce your footprint on the planet. What steps can you take to help? Keep reading for insight on how to make this positive step.
To reduce energy usage, sahe your windows to keep out sunlight. Additionally, curtains and blinds can enhance the energy-saving effect you achieve. If you do both of these it will cool your house down so you won’t have to use as much air conditioning in the summer. By blocking the sun’s rays, you will save energy and money.
You will find that it’s easy to get solar panels and they’re a great way to get energy for your home. There are some things that should be further looked in to before doing this. The number one to think about is the amount of sun your home gets. Shade is valuable in some respects, but when you are considering solar energy it can be a complicating factor.
Energy Sources
Research the different energy sources available in your community. Consider the expense of energy use in your home utilizing these energy sources while noting recent legislation about energy costs. You may find that switching to one or another may provide a reduction in energy use and cost.
During the hot summer months, hang clothes outside rather than tossing them in the dryer. The sun gives your clothes a great smell. They’ll be smelling much fresher than if they were just dried in a dryer. Additionally, you will have substantial savings on your utility bills every month that you dry clothes outside.
If you clean your dishes using a dishwasher, don’t run it until it’s completely full. No matter how many dishes you have in there, it still uses the same level of energy. When running the dishwasher, ensure that you are using the energy-saving option, which allows the air-drying of your dishes.
Sweater Gives
If you dress warmer, you will help cut energy costs, which helps you to go green. A light sweater gives you 2 extra degrees of warmth, while a heavy sweater gives you 4 degrees. So, wear a sweater to save some money.
A solar oven is a fun and effective way to reduce your energy needs for cooking. A solar oven is very easy to make. All you need is a window, a piece of foil and a sturdy box. The internal temperature of these easy-to-build ovens can top 300 degrees, and they do not require any energy besides the sun’s rays.
Use LED lights for home and tree decorations at the holidays. A U.S. Department of Energy study shows that people waste a lot of energy on traditional Christmas lights. Department of Energy, LED lights over the holidays could save as much as two billion kilowatts of energy consumption annually. That is the equivalent to the power it would take to run 200,000 homes for a year. But for your own part, this is a great way to cut that power bill down.
Water-saving toilets are easy to find and install. Some studies show that flushing the toilet accounts for half the water used in a typical home. Older toilets use about 5 gallons per flush, while the newer, water-saving toilets need only 1.6 gallons of water for each flush, cutting your annual water usage by up to 70%.
Many consumers have considered green energy, but a large number never try to figure out how to take advantage of it or learn how to use it. Use some of the ideas from the article above, and kick your green-energy efforts into high-gear.