Making your home more environmentally friendly is a great way to help lower your bills, while benefiting the environment. The tips in this article will help you to figure out how to implement green energy solutions in your own home, while not having to spend an arm and a leg on installation.
Be sure to check the insulation levels in the areas around your house. Insulation helps keep the warm air out in the summer months and the cold air out in the winter months. Places that you should check include your attic, crawl spaces, all exterior and basement walls, ceilings and floors.
A great way to garden green and efficiently use green energy is to xeriscape. This means plant native plants in your yard so that there is less maintenance and energy used on it. You will save by not using a lawn mower and you will not have to use energy on your sprinklers to water natural plants as often.
Some energy can be saved by using less water. One way to cut down on water use is to install a toilet which uses minimum water with each flush. Many people pay for their water usage, so this type of toilet will also save money on your water utility bills.
You can save energy by getting an automatic lighting system. Sensors will automatically detect when there is not enough natural light and your lighting system will be turned on at an intensity high enough to compensate with the declining natural light. This is a good solution if you tend to leave lights on.
Keep your home clean at all times. By constantly cleaning your home, you aren't allowing dirt to accumulate, which if left alone, you would need to use products with harsh chemicals to clean up. The less often you have to use these environmentally damaging products, the better off everyone will be.
When shopping for appliances, computers or other electronic items, look for products that wear an Energy Star badge. To earn the right to display the Energy Star logo, products must meet certain energy-efficiency criteria. There are different tiers of efficiency as well, which can translate into additional energy savings over the lifetime of the product.
People looking to go green would be wise to use oil lanterns to light up their homes. Oil lanterns don't use any electricity at all, and there are even some lanterns out there that will run on used vegetable oil that you can easily get from restaurants or your own kitchen.
If you are wanting to conserve energy and go green, then consider buying a car that uses either natural gas, or is all electric. Both of these sources of energy are far cleaner than burning fossil fuels and reduce your carbon footprint. If you cannot afford one of these new cars, you can still help by driving less.
Try using cold water in the washing machine whenever it is possible. 90% of the energy used by washing machines is for heating up water. Because of this, using warm water will just increase your monthly utility bill and decrease the amount of money you have at the end of the month.
Swap your old incandescent light bulbs for high-efficiency LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs use far less electricity than incandescent, and they come in sizes that fit most existing fixtures. While the up-front cost is generally higher, most of these bulbs will last for years before burning out.
Not so hard, is it? Using the knowledge you've gained from this article will ensure that you are able to, easily and quickly, change your home so that it is using green energy solutions in the most efficient way possible. You'll be helping the environment and your budget, at the same time!
Be sure to check the insulation levels in the areas around your house. Insulation helps keep the warm air out in the summer months and the cold air out in the winter months. Places that you should check include your attic, crawl spaces, all exterior and basement walls, ceilings and floors.
A great way to garden green and efficiently use green energy is to xeriscape. This means plant native plants in your yard so that there is less maintenance and energy used on it. You will save by not using a lawn mower and you will not have to use energy on your sprinklers to water natural plants as often.
Some energy can be saved by using less water. One way to cut down on water use is to install a toilet which uses minimum water with each flush. Many people pay for their water usage, so this type of toilet will also save money on your water utility bills.
You can save energy by getting an automatic lighting system. Sensors will automatically detect when there is not enough natural light and your lighting system will be turned on at an intensity high enough to compensate with the declining natural light. This is a good solution if you tend to leave lights on.
Keep your home clean at all times. By constantly cleaning your home, you aren't allowing dirt to accumulate, which if left alone, you would need to use products with harsh chemicals to clean up. The less often you have to use these environmentally damaging products, the better off everyone will be.
When shopping for appliances, computers or other electronic items, look for products that wear an Energy Star badge. To earn the right to display the Energy Star logo, products must meet certain energy-efficiency criteria. There are different tiers of efficiency as well, which can translate into additional energy savings over the lifetime of the product.
People looking to go green would be wise to use oil lanterns to light up their homes. Oil lanterns don't use any electricity at all, and there are even some lanterns out there that will run on used vegetable oil that you can easily get from restaurants or your own kitchen.
If you are wanting to conserve energy and go green, then consider buying a car that uses either natural gas, or is all electric. Both of these sources of energy are far cleaner than burning fossil fuels and reduce your carbon footprint. If you cannot afford one of these new cars, you can still help by driving less.
Try using cold water in the washing machine whenever it is possible. 90% of the energy used by washing machines is for heating up water. Because of this, using warm water will just increase your monthly utility bill and decrease the amount of money you have at the end of the month.
Swap your old incandescent light bulbs for high-efficiency LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs use far less electricity than incandescent, and they come in sizes that fit most existing fixtures. While the up-front cost is generally higher, most of these bulbs will last for years before burning out.
Not so hard, is it? Using the knowledge you've gained from this article will ensure that you are able to, easily and quickly, change your home so that it is using green energy solutions in the most efficient way possible. You'll be helping the environment and your budget, at the same time!