Many people want to have a greener lifestyle, but just don't know where to start. Fortunately, there are many ways to live a sustainable lifestyle by using green energy sources in your home. This article includes several tips on using green energy today.
Consider having a programmable thermostat installed in your house, in order to help significantly decrease your energy bills. These thermostats can be programmed with your own preferred settings to regulate the air temperature in your home year-round. You can actually help program them to manage temperatures in the day and night.
Paint your walls bright, light colors, and you can save electricity. Dark wall colors will effectively cause you to need to use more electricity to light up or brighten up the space, meaning that your home is not as "green" as it could be. Choose lighter colors so you don't need as much electricity for lighting.
Replace or clean your furnace filter at least once every 90 days, and check it once per month for build-up. Install filters for your warm-air registers, too. This will help ensure debris doesn't enter heating ducts, thereby reducing your efficiency.
Ask the electric company to help you figure out how to increase the energy efficiency in your home. Most electric companies' websites contain general information on how to save energy, as well as calculators that tell you how much energy making specific upgrades can save you. Check out the appliances and light bulbs that they recommend, as well as special programs to help you purchase them.
Consider using a solar over when you wish to bake. You can make these with boxes, old windows or old pieces of foil that can be used for reflection. Solar ovens can get hotter than 300 degrees, and doesn't use any energy source besides the sun, so you are reducing your carbon footprint and saving money.
A good tip for saving money and making your life a little greener is to reduce your water heater's temperature to 120 degrees F. Not only will it provide a good water temperature, but it will also save up to 10% on your bills.
If you're not using an appliance, turn it off. Whenever you leave a room, get into the habit of turning off lights, televisions, and computers. If you run your electronics through a power strip, you can turn everything off in that room with one switch.
Keep your oven light turned on when you are cooking an item that you have a tendency to check frequently. Each time you open the oven in order to check on food, large amounts of heat escape, so using the light instead can save you some money and energy.
Instead of utilizing a desktop computer which eat up lots more energy, purchase a laptop. You can actually save up to 75% on your electrical usage, especially if you use your computer all the time. Not only that, the laptop offers you the benefit of taking it anywhere.
Swap your old appliances for newer ones that have an Energy Star rating. The Energy Star rating guarantees that the appliance you are using has been built to use much less energy than its non-rated predecessor. For freezers and refrigerators, the rating guarantees 20 percent less energy used, 40 percent for dishwashers, and at least 50 percent when it comes to washing machines.
To keep your house war, check your insulation. If your home was built more than 30 years ago, the chances are high that your home needs more adequate insulation. That will keep your home warmer and cut down on heating costs.
One of the key topics facing our government is finding alternative options for our energy sources as we are forced to turn away from oil. Learning how to properly take advantage of renewable energy is an important step to decreasing our dependence on oil. With relevant advice, you will find that you can easily make your life more green. Use the information offered here, and you can start living a greener life.
