How can I use green energy affordably? What changes do I need to make to my own home to take advantage of it? These questions and more will be answered within this article. We’ve provided you with many tips and tricks, which make using green energy, easy and cost-efficient.
Use curtains to assist you in keeping green. If it is summer and you want the room to stay cool, draw the curtains during the day so that the sun doesn’t shine in. If it’s winter, and you want the room to stay warm, open the curtains and let the sun into your room.
Wash clothes with cold water, as much as you can. If you use warm or hot water in your washing machine, almost 90% of your energy use goes towards heating the water. Cold water will do the job just as well; all you need is an effective clothes washing detergent. Be sure to always do a full load of clothes when you wash.
One way to be environmentally friendly is to only run the dishwasher when it is completely full. Never run it with just a few dishes inside. You may be quite surprised at the number of dishes your dishwasher can handle in one load. Experiment with different ways of loading the dishwasher in order to fit in as many dishes as possible.
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.
Many people who own homes with air-conditioning fail to realize how much energy is used by these units. If you have an air-conditioned home, consider a greener way of cooling off by saving the energy used to cool the air. Try to save air-conditioning for the hottest days. Keep blinds and drapes drawn during the hottest hours and open windows and doors after the sun goes down. Ceiling fans can also help a great deal!
Turn off all appliances. When not using appliances in your home, make it a habit to turn them off when not in use. Items such as televisions, computers, and lights should all be off so you can prevent unwanted energy use. Not only is this good for using less energy, your electric bill will be much less too!
Appliances can be a big, unnecessary energy drain. Find out how much energy each of your appliances are using. Work to replace those larger appliances that are inefficient and outdated, and unplug the smaller ones – like computers and television sets – when they are not in use. Setting all appliances on a timer switch is another way to ensure that you don’t waste energy.
If possible, try to use a laptop computer, rather than a desktop. And, if the battery is full on your laptop, do not have it plugged into the charger. Desktop computers are perhaps one of the biggest energy users in your home, which is why why having a laptop is beneficial.
There are countless things you can do it you want to live a environmentally friendly lifestyle. For example, cleaning your furnace filters every month and turning down the heat when you aren’t at home will greatly increase the efficiency of your furnace. Setting your water heater’s temperature to a maximum 120 degrees will also save money. Each little bit makes a difference!
Green energy is going to be the way of the future, as we’re running out of fossil fuels, yet demand continues to grow. It’s important that you take what you’ve learned here and start using it today, so that you don’t feel the energy crunch, which is rapidly coming upon us!
