Making small adjustments to the way you use energy every day can ultimately reduce your consumption. When not using a certain appliance, unplug it from the outlet. Turn off lights and other electronics in a room when you leave. This is an excellent way of saving yourself some money.
Install timers, motion sensors, or sound sensors on lamps, lights and other electrical devices to automate their functions. Such sensors are ideal if you have a hard time remembering to turn off the lights, and because they conserve energy, they can save you a significant amount of your power bill.
Recycling is one of the easiest tasks that can make a greener home. Some towns automatically include costs for recycling in their garbage collection, so look into this! If not, certain states including Michigan will pay consumers to return bottles after use. Recycling is one of the best ways to cut energy costs!
For green energy use in your home, you should change all your incandescent bulbs to the new energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Not only will you save a bundle on your energy bill, but you will help conserve energy for future generations and reduce your own impact on the power grid in your city.
In order to save energy at home, plug your electronics, including televisions and DVD players, into power strips and when you are not using them, turn off the power strips. Not only will you be preserving energy by doing this, but you will also be saving money on your electricity bill.
Think outside of the box. While many people think ‘solar’ panels when they think of green energy, there are other ways to take advantage of the sun. If you are building a new home, consider incorporating passive solar design into the home. By building with materials such as concrete or adobe and taking advantage of the sun’s natural heat with south-facing windows, you can create a home that will naturally heat itself in the winter and stay cool in the summer.
Check out the Green Power Network website to find out if there is a green power alternative available in your area. Consider switching to green power if there is a good service available in your area and if you can afford to. You might be able to get a tax rebate in some states.
You can take advantage of solar power without investing in costly installation. Paying attention to window placement, insulation and landscaping is enough. Get rid of any trees that cast a shadow on your home, add more windows if a room is too dark and add insulation in the walls to retain the solar heat.
It is easy to find the initiative to make your house greener when you consider the many tax refunds currently offered for energy-efficient improvements. Be sure to keep all receipts pertaining to such improvements as the U.S. government presently lets home owners deduct costs for everything from new windows to storm doors to furnaces and insulation.
An easy way to make your home greener is to replace your old light fixtures with ones, which are ENERGY STAR qualified. If you are unable to install ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures at the moment, at least replace your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) which use much less energy.
Pack your own lunch when going to work or out for the day. This saves money, but also improves the environment by using less “consumables” that inevitably come with meals ordered out. You can reuse the containers you used for your lunch, and it only takes a small space in your bag or purse.
Insulating your hot water cylinder can help you to save large amounts of energy in your home. Putting insulation around your pipes helps your hot water to run more quickly as well. If you are unsure of how to do this yourself, you may want to enlist the help of a professional.
Not so hard, is it? Using the knowledge you’ve gained from this article will ensure that you are able to, easily and quickly, change your home so that it is using green energy solutions in the most efficient way possible. You’ll be helping the environment and your budget, at the same time!
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