Many people don’t know how to start living the greener life they desire. There are countless solutions for helping people preserve the environment by using renewable, alternative sources of energy. This article has great tips to help you use green energy now.
Reduce the price of heating water in pools, hot tubs and inside your home by using solar-powered heating systems. Traditional gas and electricity are not that efficient, but solar-powered water heaters glean the sun’s natural energy to maintain even temperatures. Certain upgrades, though expensive, qualify for specific tax deductions.
Use natural fabrics in the summer instead of turning up the AC. By wearing natural fabrics, such as cotton, you will keep moisture away from your skin and help it stay cooler. Light colored clothing can also help you to feel cooler.
Solar Panels
It is fairly simple to have solar panels installed to tap into solar energy to use in your home. However, before doing this, you need to consider a few things. One thing to factor into your considerations is the amount of sun your house actually gets over the year. If your home does not get a lot of sunlight, then solar panels will be pretty useless.
During the summer months, think about using the heat from the sun to dry your clothes instead of utilizing a dryer. As well as drying your clothes, the sun can also help your clothes smell nice. Line-dried items will be just as clean and dry as they would be if you used the dryer, but they will also smell so much fresher. In addition, you will save a lot of money on your monthly utility bills.
Maintain your refrigerator. Because refrigerators use so much energy, it really pays to keep them working as efficiently as possible. Clean the dust off of the heating coils on a regular basis. You also want to make sure the door seal is tight and clean.
Opt for emails over paper whenever possible; get on no-mail lists for catalogs and junk mail. In short, try to be paperless all the time. Reducing your consumption of paper saves energy on production costs, along with the costs of shredding documents in your home. Finally, it will also save trees and reduce pollution a great deal in very little time.
Keep the heat as low as you can, unless you absolutely have to raise it. Put on a sweater and sweatpants when it’s cold. When heat is raised to a higher level you end up using a lot of energy you didn’t really need to use.
There are a lot of things you can do if you want reduce your environmental footprint on the planet. Many of these options will not cost you money, but will instead save you money, like cleaning your furnace filter monthly and turning down your thermostat when you are leaving your home. Reducing the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees could save you a lot of money as well. No matter how small, everything helps!
Carpooling is a great way to save energy for transportation needs, even if your trip is to the mall or an after-school event. If you are a parent, carpool with other adults. Synchronize grocery shopping trips with nearby friends and family by taking turns as the driver.
A good green energy tool is a tankless water heater. Instead of constantly heating water, these newer heaters heat it only as necessary so that you don’t waste energy. The water heaters that heat on-demand only heat water that is immediatly needed and save a lot on energy costs.
Even though everyone knows better, many people do not bother to turn off electrical devices when they finish using them. If you were to get in the habit of turning them off, it would cut down tremendously on your energy bill costs. Consider what you are doing before it is done, and turn those appliances and lights off when you are finished using them.
Wood Products
Try to buy some bamboo models when you want to buy wood products. Bamboo is a product that grass-based and a lot stronger than many of the commercially available wood products on the market. It is a fast grower, and can be made into many different products like cutting boards to flooring, which you can purchase. This saves energy when it comes to the production and recycling of manufacturing products.
Look for appliances with the Energy Star label to find the most energy efficient appliances. The ENERGY STAR guidelines are set by the U.S. Department of Energy as well as the Environmental Protection Agency If you want to claim a green energy tax rebate, you’ll likely need to buy one of these products to qualify.
Try setting your heat at 61 degrees or less when you aren’t home, or when you have retired for the night. 60 degrees is the target temperature at which your heater will be consuming the least energy. In this case, you would cut down on energy usage and save cash.
Don’t forget about ceiling fans during winter time. You should use them to help heat your home. With a clockwise rotation, they can be used to circulate the air and help the warm air come down. This will help the room feel warmer and the heater will not be used as much. It takes less energy to power the fan than it does your furnace.
One of the key topics facing our government is finding alternative options for our energy sources as we are forced to turn away from oil. Learning how to properly take advantage of renewable energy is an important step to decreasing our dependence on oil. With the proper information, you will find it much easier to implement green energy properly into your home. Use this article’s advice, and live a green life now!