It is actually pretty easy to reduce the amount of energy and resources your home. Get a few ideas of where to start from the tips in this article.
Shading your windows from direct sunlight whelps to save energy. You can do this by putting in curtains or blinds. You will save money and energy at the process.
Wash your clothes in cold water. Almost ninety percent of the energy used to heat the water for a warm or hot cycle. If you are using good quality washing detergent, cold water will be as effective as hot when cleaning your laundry.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is a great way to get hot water. Consider a solar energy. You can choose from a direct circulation systems or indirect one. Indirect is the best option for those who have pipes during the winter.
If you are considering the installation of home solar energy, you need to calculate the amount of power the system can produce using winter sunshine hours. This will guarantee that you will have energy no matter what the weather brings, and it keeps you ahead of the game for summer months.
Tankless Heaters
Use a model which is tankless and more green instead of a tank. While tankless heaters still require gas or electricity to heat your water, they will not heat more water than you need, rather than keeping a large tank hot around the clock. Tankless heaters are available in models that supply the entire house or certain faucets.
Instead, make sure each member of your family has sweaters, slippers and socks, and heat your living areas with a pellet stove or fireplace.
Use a laptop for your computing needs rather than a desktop computer. This can cut up to 75% of your electrical use, particularly if you are someone who stays on the Internet for long periods of time. The laptop has the added benefit of being portable, so it can be taken anywhere!
Try receiving as much as possible through email rather than traditional means. In short, go paperless as much as possible.
Avoid turning the heat in your home unless you have to. If you are cold, put sweatpants or a sweatshirt on. When heat is raised to a higher level you end up using a lot of energy than necessary.
Although this may seem like common sense, usually, most people forget to shut off lights and electronics when not using them. If you do this every day, they would slash their energy bill a great deal.
A really simple way to begin incorporating energy-efficient changes to your home is to get help from your electric company. Utility companies provide some powerful tools that let you see the amount of energy you use and control your electricity usage. Also check out programs which can help offset the cost of purchasing energy-efficient appliances.
Take the ideas from this article and find a way to incorporate them into your household. You will be saving the environment and reducing your bills at the same time. Keep at it and soon you will have one of the greenest homes around!