If your home has a pool or hot tub, look into a solar water heating system. Installing a solar water heating system costs about the same as a conventional system, but operating costs for the system will be much lower. Repair costs for solar heating systems are often lower as well.
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.
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.
Get an energy audit of your home. Having your home inspected by a professional is the best way to find out how you could adopt alternative sources of energy. In some cases, the sun or wind exposure is simply not high enough to justify investing in alternative sources of power.
Look into using recycled or rechargeable batteries for the items that require batteries. Disposable batteries cost a lot of money to produce and they also contain toxic chemicals which are bad for the environment. By switching to recycled or rechargeable batteries, you will be keeping these chemicals away from our environment.
Measure the prevailing wind speed on your property before considering a wind generator. In order for wind energy to be cost-effective, you need a wind speed greater than 8.5 to 9 MPH at least sixty percent of the time. Any slower, and the turbine won't spin fast enough to generate much electricity.
You do not have to spend a lot to be a green energy consumer. You can just change your habits and be green. You can certainly save big by driving the speed limit and not over use your gas pedal. You can save as much as 20 percent on gas if you just follow those two rules.
Replace regular light bulb with Energy Star qualified bulbs. These bulbs last about ten times as long as a traditional incandescent bulb, and use approximately 75 percent less energy, saving you about $30 in energy costs during the lifetime of the bulb. They also emit about 75 percent less heat, and are therefore much safer.
If you are apprehensive about what green changes to make to your home, there are many green energy consultants available today. They will let you know how much you can save by upgrading to more efficient appliances and systems, and also give you a good idea of how much it will cost.
Consider a ground-source heat pump for your home. A ground source heat pump makes use of the constant temperature of the ground in order to heat and cool the home. The ground temperature will be warmer than the air in winter but cooler in the summer, making for highly efficient heat exchange.
Invest in solar power for your home. Adding a few solar panels to your roof can actually decrease the cost of heating or cooling your home by up to 50%! Talk to a professional about where best to install them on your roof, as the placement is very important to get the optimal amount of direct sunlight.
Spending the extra money on buying green electronics and appliances pays off in the long run. Oftentimes, green technologies are a bit more expensive than their traditional counterpart; however, investing in green electronics and appliances will pay off with savings from decreased energy consumption. It also pays off as far as the environment is concerned.
Look for and use built-in power settings on your computer, laptop and other electronics to reduce their power consumption. Try dimming the screen in dark rooms or trimming resource usage for undemanding tasks. These steps can minimize the amount of electricity your devices need to operate, which conserves energy and lowers your utility bills.
Think about going green in terms of energy use in small steps, especially if your home cannot accommodate the solar panels or wind turbines necessary for a major infusion of green energy. Things like laptops, cell phones, iPods and other small gadgets can easily be powered up with smaller solar cells.
Consider the amount of energy it takes to run your computer. Different people hold different opinions on whether they prefer the use of a desktop or a laptop. There are two things for sure that cannot be argued against when it comes to laptops. They are portable, and they save you money on energy costs when compared to desktop computers. Computers are one of the pieces of equipment in your house that uses the most energy, so why not save some money?
People who want to save energy should create their own ice. Automatic ice makers tend to use more energy than necessary, and they malfunction frequently. Ice makers generally increase the temperature in your freezer if they develop a leaky seal. Make the ice yourself to avoid these issues.
Your washing machine can be useful in utilizing green energy. When you want to wash clothes, only do so when you have a full load of clothes. Waiting until you have full load ensures that you will not use your machine as often, meaning you will use less energy and water.
It isn't difficult or complicated to switch to green energy. As you have seen, switching to green energy can be done quite easily. Remember to use what you have read here today. This doesn't take a ton of effort and has several benefits.
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