Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Minimize Your Carbon Footprint With These Green Energy Ideas!

By Glady Nurmi


We are now aware of how important it is to care for the environment. A great way to care for the environment while saving yourself money is to incorporate green energy technology at home. The following article provides great information on the different ways you can incorporate green energy technology into your home today.

If you don't know whether a green energy system would help you save energy, consult professionals in the plumbing or HVAC fields to assess your current system. They will let you know how much you can save by upgrading to more efficient appliances and systems, and also give you a good idea of how much it will cost.

When not using things, turn them off. Upon leaving a room, turn off such things as the lights, computer, television or entertainment center. Power strips are handy, because you can turn a number of devices off with the flip of one switch.

When cooling your home in the summer, adjust your thermostat so that your home stays five degrees warmer. This can save 20 percent in cooling costs. To cool the air in your home without the use of energy-wasting air conditioning, strategically place fans around your rooms.

Instead of reducing energy consumption through a variety of methods, try producing renewable energy on your own. This can slash your energy costs, let you do your part to reduce pollution and give you the freedom of being independent of the big energy companies. This is a huge step in the right direction of energy consumption, and there are a few options you have when choosing to do this.

Replace your tank-style water heater with a green, tankless model. Tankless water heaters do require energy for operation, but since they heat water on demand, power is not wasted by keeping a full tank hot 24/7. You can either get a tankless heater for your entire house or for a only one faucet.

Install solar panels on your roof for a greener, more environmentally friendly home. Solar panels are a large investment, but the savings you will enjoy by using solar energy will make up for the extra expenditure. You don't have to pay for solar energy each month; you only have to pay to install solar panels. You may also be able to sell solar power to your local electricity company.

Cutting back on your daily electricity usage is a simple way to conserve energy. When a certain appliance is not in use, unplug it. Turn off lights and the television when you are finished using them. This is an easy, money-saving tip.

Heat the rooms in your home separately. You can use floor heating solutions to accomplish this, and include one main board that gives you the ability to individually select the temperature in each area. This works particularly well if you own a larger home.

Make sure you adjust thermostat settings according to the different seasons and their temperatures. During the winter, make sure you lower your thermostat, and during the summer, raise it slightly. You will enjoy a comfortable temperature all year long, especially if you also adjust the way you dress to fit the season.

In order to conserve energy, try keeping the windows shaded from the sunlight. Additionally, curtains and blinds can enhance the energy-saving effect you achieve. Since your home will become cooler, you will not have to use the air conditioning that much. Energy and money are both saved this way.

One easy green tip for cooling your house during the summertime is to put the thermostat just five degrees higher than you may have before. This can save 20 percent in cooling costs. Run some fans instead of using air conditioning to cool your home.

You may want to get bamboo items when you're in the market for something made out of wood. Bamboo is very green and strong and is technically considered a grass. It is very easy to grow and is becoming more widely available. Retail outlets are selling many bamboo products, from flooring to cutting boards. This will reduce energy consumption for the production and recycling of manufacturing items.

Make your carbon footprint smaller and use less energy by using some of the great ideas above to show that you care about the environment. The savings will definitely make it worth while.




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1 comment:

  1. These are all awesome tips on how to stay green and clean America!! One more tip though, during the summer while sunshine lasts till around 7 or 8 now, open your blinds as a source of light, also while running the air conditioner do not have light bulbs on in the same room producing excess heat.

    -Sharone Tal
    Solar Installation Ocean County NJ

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