Helping the environment is easy when you begin to use green energy solutions within your own home. It will also have many added benefits, such as power when the grid is down, and even the money making opportunity of selling power back to the gird. So read on for tips on how you can get involved.
If your home has a pool or hot tub, look into a solar water heating system. Installing a solar water heating system costs about the same as a conventional system, but operating costs for the system will be much lower. Repair costs for solar heating systems are often lower as well.
Recycling is one of the easiest tasks that can make a greener home. Some towns automatically include costs for recycling in their garbage collection, so look into this! If not, certain states including Michigan will pay consumers to return bottles after use. Recycling is one of the best ways to cut energy costs!
Use curtains to assist you in keeping green. If it is summer and you want the room to stay cool, draw the curtains during the day so that the sun doesn’t shine in. If it’s winter, and you want the room to stay warm, open the curtains and let the sun into your room.
Make use of fans inside the home. You can easily use floor fans or have a ceiling fan installed to increase airflow inside the home. You can use these even if you already have an air conditioner because you can turn the thermostat higher and just use the fans for air movement.
Think outside of the box. While many people think ‘solar’ panels when they think of green energy, there are other ways to take advantage of the sun. If you are building a new home, consider incorporating passive solar design into the home. By building with materials such as concrete or adobe and taking advantage of the sun’s natural heat with south-facing windows, you can create a home that will naturally heat itself in the winter and stay cool in the summer.
A helpful tip to live greener and conserve energy is to have the windows in your home tinted. The windows in your home act like glass in a greenhouse and when you want you home to be cool, the windows will heat it up and work against your air conditioner and cost you a bundle.
If you want to have hot water, but at a lower cost, then check into solar energy. Purchase a hot water system that uses solar energy. You can choose from a direct circulation system or an indirect one. For colder regions,indirect is a better option.
Make sure that your home is completely sealed from all drafts, if you want to live green and use the principals of green energy. Windows and doors are your biggest culprits for letting hot and cold air out of your home. So, seal them up and start saving money.
This article has been provided to show you many different ways that you can use green energy in your own home, but you need to take what you’ve learned, and use it to reap the greatest rewards. Don’t sit on your laurels, instead get up and get to work right now!