Your home is your castle, but have you ever considered what is powering it? Green energy is a great solution that you can implement in your own home, in order to clean up the environment and lower your bills. Read on for some simple strategies that you can start using right now.
Try setting the air conditioning to run just one degree Celsius warmer during the summer and one degree Celsius cooler during the winter. You will not even notice this difference in temperature, and you’ll save a lot of money and energy. In addition, the amount of carbon being used will decrease by around 14%.
Switch to water heating systems that use solar power to heat hot tubs, pools and indoor water. When you heat water with natural gas or electricity, it isn’t as efficient as using a solar alternative. Many of these improvements will cost you a bit up front, but the cost savings and tax deductions will usually more than offset that cost.
Wear natural fabrics instead of always using the air conditioning during summer. Moisture-wicking athletic fabrics pull moisture away from your skin, creating a cooling sensation. Wear lighter colors since warmer ones can make you warm and cause you to rely on the A/C.
If you are planning on switching to green energy, it can seem too discouraging to jump in and do it all at once. While an entire home and land can be overwhelming, try narrowing your efforts to one room at a time. A good first step is a bedroom, where you can use solar power for just a reading lamp and a radio or alarm clock. Then work up from there!
Replace or clean your furnace filters yearly, and recheck them monthly. Adding filters to warm-air registers is also beneficial. This will keep everything out of the air ducts, keeping your energy efficiency high.
Buy a box of Ziplock quart size baggies and use these to make your own snacks. Whether you enjoy a bit of trail mix, Chex Mix, or a tasty muffin, you can use this bag and wash it when you get home to use the next day. Keep your snacks green by washing and reusing these baggies for your snacks until they are too worn.
Take advantage of the wind. The cleanest source of alternative energy is wind energy. It can even cut your electric bill by up to 90 percent. You can run an energy audit before you determine what size turbine you’ll need, but most houses require 5 to 15 kilowatts to produce 780 kilowatt-hours per month. month.
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.
During the holidays, it can be tempting to want to put up a lot of lights, both inside and outside your home. However, this is not wise. Not only will your electric bill be extremely high, but you will be using too much energy. Try to use Christmas lights sparingly.
Always have a backup power source for a wind generation system. Your system needs to be able to account for low-wind days. This backup could be another type of renewable source, such as a battery system powered by solar, or a diesel generator. Another option is to have the home plugged into the utility power grid.
A clean environment is key to ensuring that we continue to have the food and water that we need to survive. It’s up to each individual to play their part and a great start to that part is to use the ideas in this article to “green” your energy use. Start implementing what you’ve learned and reap the rewards!
