No matter if you are a tree hugger or just looking to save a bit of money, converting to green energy in your home will make a huge difference. Keep reading for useful advice, and tips on how to incorporate green energy into the technology that your house and family uses today.
Air dry your laundry. If the weather allows you to, after you wash your laundry, instead of running it through the dryer, dry it on a clothesline outside. Let the sun and wind dry your clothes for you. Using an electric dryer will only use up energy, and if the weather is nice, you can save energy easily. In addition, your clothes will last longer.
Solar water heating is a great way to decrease the expense of heating water used for showers and swimming pools. Solar water heaters are much more energy efficient than electric or gas-driven water heating systems. Solar systems use the sun’s energy to stabilize water temperature. Some of these upgrades, while more expensive up-front, may qualify for green energy tax deductions.
Try wearing natural fabrics in the summer as opposed to using the air conditioner. Cotton and other fabrics draw sweat from the skin and make you cool. Wearing lighter colors will also help, because they tend to reflect light.
If switching your home to solar power is beyond your financial capabilities, try switching just one room, like a bedroom, to solar power. There are solar kits available online that can help you green a room, and this will positively affect your energy bills and carbon footprint for years to come.
If you are interested in alternative energy sources, you can start by contacting your current energy provider to see if they have anything to offer. Many companies are now able to harness power from solar and wind power. This may cost you more, as there is a price for the extra work involved in tapping these sources, but you will be doing the environment a favor!
Plant trees around your home. The trees will help provide shading for you home and therefore will help keep your home cooler in the hot summer months. It will not require as much air conditioning to keep it at your desired temperature. Since trees lose leaves in the winter, they will still allow the sun to come in and help heat your home during the winter months.
A helpful tip to live greener and conserve energy is to have the windows in your home tinted. The windows in your home act like glass in a greenhouse and when you want you home to be cool, the windows will heat it up and work against your air conditioner and cost you a bundle.
Replace an energy-hogging water heating tank with a greener, tankless variety. While heaters that are tankless still need electricity or gas, they will not heat more water than you need, which is what a water tank heater does. You can get a tankless water heater to heat your entire home’s water supply or you can get a smaller one that heats only water that comes out of a particular faucet.
Use rainwater to water outdoor plants and shrubs. This water can also be collected and used for kiddie pools and other outdoor water needs. Rain collection buckets are simple to install, and these reduce the amount of city or well water you use each year, saving you money and keeping your yard green.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to go green, stick with them! Saving money is in everyone’s interest, as is working for a cleaner environment. Hopefully, you have learned enough from this article to begin putting green energy to work in your home, to see significant savings and feel better about the impact you have on the environment very soon.
