Green Energy and You: Tips On How To Make Positive Changes
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Filed under Green Energy
Caring for the Earth is the responsibility of every single one of us. There are a wide variety of green energy technologies available that provide power from sustainable resources. How can these technologies be put to work for you? Read on and learn more.
Shading windows from sunlight whelps to save energy. Adding some window coverings can also help. If you do both of these it will cool your house down so you won’t have to use as much air conditioning in the summer. The result is a significant energy savings and money in your pocket!
Solar panels are easy to install. However, before installing them, there are some things to keep in mind. The most important thing you need to consider is the amount of sun your home gets regularly. You can’t take as much advantage of solar energy if your house gets a lot of shade rather than sun.
Do you have a farm? If you have a lot of land, energy companies will pay you for the right to set up a wind turbine on it. Not only does it take up very little space, both you and the neighbors will greatly benefit from this free energy.
Use cold water for laundry, whenever you can. Almost 90% of the power you use to do laundry is simply used to heat the water. Washing clothes in cold water can be just as effective as a warm cycle, especially with today’s cold water detergents. In addition, remember that a washing machine will be most energy efficient when it is full.
Check with a technician and see if switching to biodiesel for your home instead of fuel oil is a viable option for you. Many systems can use biodiesels without any modification. Biodiesel is cleaner to burn than petroleum, making it more efficient to use in the wintertime.
If you utilize a dishwasher, avoiding using it until it’s filled up. The dishwasher cycle uses the same amounts of water and energy, whether it is full or not. When running the dishwasher, turn on the setting for energy conservation.
When you are installing a solar energy system, you want to be sure the batteries you will be using to store the solar power are situated as close to the solar cells as possible. This helps prevent power loss in the cables. It can also lessen the probability of cable shading, which reduces power-generation capabilities.
Active Power
Learn all you can about solar power that is active and passive. Passive power is used immediately and is cheaper, but active power has the ability to store energy for later use. Active power uses solar panels, cells and mechanical systems. Passive systems use the sun’s rays to store energy withing the walls of your home and are significantly cheaper.
Rather than using an energy-hogging desktop computer, switch to a laptop. You can reduce your energy use by three-quarters if you use the internet a lot or do a lot of word processing. Plus, you can take your laptop with you anywhere you go!
Don’t turn your heat up too far in the home, unless you need to. If it is a little chilly, simply put on a sweatshirt, and pair of sweatpants. This saves you from using energy that would be required to sustain heat at that high level.
Get appliances that have an Energy Star rating. To receive an Energy Star rating from the government, appliances must meet minimum efficiency standards, unlike the non-rated appliances you may currently own. The rating promises refrigerators and freezers will use 20 percent less energy, 40 percent less for dishwashers and 50 percent less energy for washing machines.
Green Energy
Green energy helps protect our environment. Nearly every power source has an impact on the environment, but the use of green energy minimizes that impact. Now you know how you can make this world a little greener for our generation and every generation to come.