Going green benefits your home and your health, as well as leaving a minimal impact on the environment. There are some easy ways to reduce your energy use and save money by being more efficient in your home. Read this article for some quick tips on conserving the energy used while at home.
You can save a phenomenal amount of energy just by using less electricity every day. Unplug appliances when they’re not in use. Turn off lights and the television when you are finished using them. These simple tips can save you money, as well as saving electricity.
Choose solar-powered lights when installing outdoor lighting in your yard. The solar lamps are relatively inexpensive and will not need any additional power other than direct sunlight. This saves you a lot of energy. It also means you don’t need hard wired outdoor lights.
Wear natural fabrics instead of running your air conditioner during summer months. Fabrics such as cotton draw moisture from the skin, which allows you to stay much cooler. Wear lighter colors since warmer ones can make you warm and cause you to rely on the A/C.
Consider switching to solar-powered water heaters for your home. If you live in an area where freezing temperatures are not a problem, you can purchase a system that heats water through a heater that is solar before it pumps it in your home. You still should keep your regular water heater as a backup because there may be times when there isn’t a lot of sun or you have to use a lot of water that’s hot.
Discover all the different sources of energy in your community. Be sure to look at the legislation and incentives available for using green utilities. Switching from electricity to gas, or from your city water supply to a well, may save you money.
Instead of using a clothes dryer, hang your clothes in the sun to dry in the summer months. You’ll love how your clothes smell after being sun-dried. Your clothes will smell fresher when dried naturally rather than in the dryer. In addition, you’ll save money on your utility bills.
Make use of a solar-powered oven for baking. You can make one from an old window, cardboard box, and tin foil. These ovens can reach temperatures of over 300 degrees, and use no outside energy other than the sun. They can be made in minutes.
Watch your watt usage. Get a watt monitor such as the Watt Minder or the Kill-A-Watt to find out which appliances use too much energy. All you need to do is plug the item in question into the device to find out how much energy it uses in an hour. With that information, you will be able to calculate how much that appliance costs to operate.
Switch your toilets to one of the newer, water-saving varieties. People have estimated that you flush about 50% of the water from your house down the toilet. Older toilets use 5 gallons per flush, whereas new models use less than 2 gallons.
Even though everyone knows better, many people do not bother to turn off electrical devices when they finish using them. If someone did that every day, they would slash their energy bill a great deal. Think in advance about what you need to do, and make it a habit to turn off anything that you are no longer using.
It takes neither a large time commitment nor a ton of money to green your home. You can save a lot of money in utility costs by just making a couple changes. Remember these tips and share them to see improvements in the environment!
