With money being so hard to come by, it’s
always a good idea to employ ways that help lower the monthly bills. Probably
the biggest bill to pay is electricity, so any tips we can use to save on
consumption will go a long way.
Using green energy is one of the best ways to
lower your monthly power bill. It takes planning, however, to be able to use
green energy properly. Before you think of installing those solar panels and
wind turbines, you must first check for the top ways to save money when using
green energy at your home. Remember that even if you install solar panels, if
your house is not green-friendly,
energy goes to waste. Wasted green energy is
counter-productive and quite ironic.
Here are some of the first few things you
must check in your home to make sure you do not waste anything.
Check
all doors and windows. When looking into using
solar panel, you have to remember one general rule – draft is
your enemy. Whatever season it is, having a drafty house is not good. In the
colder months, draft lets cold air in, while during summer, draft releases
cooled air outdoors. Drafts also increase humidity, which takes more green
energy to counteract. Check all your windows and make sure the edges and sills
are well-sealed, and don’t have any leaks that may be the entry point of any
draft. Also, check your doors, above, at the sides and below – install caulks
and replace the compressed and cracked ones. Once you do all of these, your
doors and windows are now green-friendly and ready.
Appliances.
The general rule for energy-efficiency in appliances is – use the type and size
of appliances fitted for your need. Don’t buy huge refs and freezers just
because you’ll never know when you’d need the extra space in your fridge. Using
appliances which are not ample for your needs not only wastes regular
electricity, it also defeats the purpose of going green in your home.
Buy the
proper size – whether it be a refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, dryer or
air conditioner.
Heating
and cooling. One of the biggest energy monsters in
the home are your cooling and heating devices. The hard truth is – you must
replace all your outdated systems with energy-efficient ones. Newer models of
heaters and air-conditioners have built-in systems that actually help the user
save on power. Some even have sensors that turn on and off depending on the
detected need for either cooling or heating. This is very good since the
systems turns off when it is not needed, therefore not using electricity when
it is not necessary.
To really go green however, the best solution is to open
your windows and actually letting the cool breeze in, or going out to your yard
to enjoy sunshine when you need it. This is simple, but this is the true way to
go green.
When building a home, think
energy efficient. Building
a solar panel-friendly home takes preparation. You build it in, and make huge
adjustments. If you have a house constructed with green in mind, it would be
advisable to have open floor plans, in order to make good use of the green
energy – and not have it confined in one space or room only. Open spaces encourage the flow of air,
therefore decreasing the amount of energy to be used to either cool down or
heat up a room.
It
admittedly costs money to initially go green, but the effects are well worth
it. Your investment will eventually result to huge savings in the future.
