You’re probably aware of some of the ways that green energy can help you conserve energy and money. Benefits of using home solar panels range from being eco-friendly to receiving tax breaks. This article gives you information on how and why to purchase solar panels.
Use solar-powered lamps for outdoor lighting. Not only are they a reasonable purchase price, but they do not require electricity to run. This saves a lot of energy! You also don’t need to hang lights or wires outdoors.
Use a solar-solar powered system to heat water. Solar water heaters use the sun’s energy to heat water resulting in energy savings. While many of these upgrades have high up-front costs, they may qualify for tax credits or other rebates.
Be a better consumer of energy, and cut your home energy usage by unplugging your electronic chargers when they are not in use. Charging devices for several common types of electronics, including laptops, cell phones, and MP3 players all draw “phantom power” if you keep them plugged in while they are idle.
Are you lucky enough to own a farm? If so, or if you have family who does, consider renting out some of your land to a company that will install a simple wind turbine. You will reap the benefits of this energy and the space needed is minimal.
Your furnace filters should be cleaned monthly and replaced yearly. Install filters for your warm-air registers, too. This helps keep debris (or Hot Wheels cars) from getting into heating ducts and reducing efficiency.
Run the dishwasher when it’s full instead of half-full in order to save energy and money. It’s sacrilege to turn it on with just one or two dishes inside. Once you learn how to properly fill a dishwasher, you will be amazed at the number of dishes that can be washed in one load. Properly place your dishes in it so you can fit as many as possible.
Make sure when you aren’t using something to turn it off. When you leave the room you should think about what is not in use, like the lights, a television or your home theater. When you can, plug your electronics into a power strip and when you are not using it, turn it off. Energy is still being used when something is in standby mode.
If you utilize a dishwasher, avoiding using it until it’s filled up. Dishwashers do not allow for minimizing water or power consumption. It is the same, full or not. When you run the dishwasher, see to it that you are using its energy-saving setting; that will allow the dishes to dry using air.
When implementing a solar energy system, put the batteries as close to the cells as possible. This prevents power from getting lost in the cables. This also prevents long cables from casting shadows over the PV cells.
Maintain your refrigerator. Refrigerators take up lots of energy, so making sure they’re in working order is always good to know. Every week, check and see if dust has accumulated near the heating coils. If it has, take the time to remove it. Make sure door seals are clean and tight.
Air flow is better controlled in home that has stormed doors and windows installed. Storm doors and windows dramatically reduce the amount of drafts and cold air that get into your home. Energy efficiency increases by 45% in houses that contain stormed windows and doors, which could save you lots of money when it comes to electricity.
If green energy is a concept which you embrace, minimize the use of electrical heaters during the winter months. A fireplace for the living area, wearing warmer clothing and purchasing some slippers are all greener ways of keeping the family warm. Also, it has been shown that people sleep better in cool environments.
Switch over to getting information through email. In other words, go paperless as much as possible. Businesses will have a much easier time communicating with you, and they will be saving energy. This benefits everyone in society along with your own business.
Keep track of how many watts you’re using. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. If you attach the device to the appliances in your home, it will let you know how much energy that appliance uses for different lengths of time. This gives you a much better idea of the real costs associated with each appliance you own.
Use LED lights to decorate for the holidays instead of traditional strand lights. According to a study by the U.S. The U.S. would be able to save Two billion kilo watt hours of energy if everyone did this change. This electricity could power more than 200,000 houses for a year. Even if you don’t care about those big numbers, you should care that you can personally save money by going green.
Your electric company can be a great resource for taking a look at how you can make your house energy-efficient. Most utility companies have an area on their website that will show you your exact energy usage hourly, along with various ways to lower the amount of energy used and lessen your costs. Investigate the programs they have available to assist you in buying appliances and other items that are energy-efficient.
If you can afford it, you should consider installing new, energy star rated windows. There’s a ton of benefits to these windows, such as lower energy costs, a quieter home, less carbon dioxide and reduced condensation on the windows.
As you can probably see, solar panels can provide many benefits, including energy and cost savings. These systems are not only easily obtainable, they can be expected to last. Upgrading your home to use green energy is a no-brainer!