Green Energy Tips And Tricks For A Healthy Environment
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Filed under Green Energy
You can protect the environment and reduce energy costs with green energy. You do not have to purchase a car that is electric in order to make this work! Read here to find some ways to lower your electric bills as well as make the environment cleaner.
Do your best to consume the least amount of energy possible in your home. Do things like unplug any electronic device that you aren’t using that may still be plugged into an outlet. Chargers for devices like phones, music players, computers and others use small amounts of power any time they are in an outlet, even if you aren’t charging anything.
Your furnace filters should be replaced annually, and inspected for monthly cleanings. It is also recommended to put filters on every register in your home. These filters keep debris or toys from entering the duct-work, which could reduce the efficiency of your HVAC system.
Turn things off when not in use. Upon leaving a room, turn off such things as the lights, computer, television or entertainment center. Put all of your entertainment electronics on a power strip you can turn off, as this will stop appliances from going into a power draining stand-by mode.
A solar energy array can be the cheapest way to getting your hot water. Install a water heating system that uses solar power. There are direct and indirect circulation systems available. Indirect systems are the best option for those who have frozen pipes during the winter.
Active Solar Power
Learn the difference between passive and active solar power. Active solar power is stored so it can be used later, but passive doesn’t need pricey solar panel cells to store power. Active solar powers requires solar panels that need installations as well as mechanical systems and cells. Passive solar power is more basic and simply uses your home in its existing state as heat storage.
Pay attention to the watts used in your home. Get a watt monitor such as the Watt Minder or the Kill-A-Watt to find out which appliances use too much energy. Plus an appliance into the gadget and it will tell you how much energy it is using. This way, you will know how much that appliance costs you, and you can adjust your usage or settings accordingly.
There are a lot of things you can do if you want reduce your environmental footprint on the planet. You may not be able to spend a lot of money going green, but you can start by cleaning furnace filters each month and setting heat at 60 degrees when not at home. You can also help reduce energy usage by reducing the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees. Anything you can do will help!
Energy Star
Get appliances that have an Energy Star rating. Any Energy Star rated appliance guarantees better energy efficiency than an older one without the rating. Energy Star ratings promise 40% less energy for dishwashers and 50% less for washing machines.
A really simple way to begin making your house energy-efficient is to get your electric company to help you. A lot of them have the option on their website that will show you how much energy your household is using. They may also show ways you can lower your energy usage. Check out the appliances and light bulbs that they recommend, as well as special programs to help you purchase them.
You can conserve energy by doing things like using more efficient light bulbs, changing your furnace’s filter, and installing a thermostat that is programmable. Once other people see how easy going green is, they will want to go green too. Keep these ideas in mind and apply them wherever you can.