The term "green energy" is used a lot these days in the news and in business. However, you may not know exactly what is meant by the term. Green energy is any type of energy from a sustainable resource, such as the sun or wind. Read on to find out more about green energy and how it can work for you.
Buying energy-efficient light bulbs is a great way to save money and use green energy in your home. These light bulbs take a couple minutes to use their maximum brightness. This delay allows less energy to be used when turning on the lights in your home, which is a great way to save energy!
Speak with your utility company about receiving your electric power from a renewable source. Many metropolitan areas get some of their power from hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, or wind powered plants. Often, the electric company can simply apply a certain amount of your electric bill to renewable energy without you needing to make any other changes.
A good way to begin your quest for green energy is to use alternative sources to heat your home. While wood stoves have been relied upon for countless years, the newer trend is toward pellet stoves. The pellets are composed of compressed sawdust and take up far less space than a wood-pile.
When you are not using your appliances, you should make sure they are turned off. If you are in a room, make sure that the light is turned off when you exit. If you leave your home, ensure the TV is turned off. These little things can greatly decrease the amount of energy you use in your home, which will leave you with some extra cash in your pocket at the end of the month.
Find out more about ground source heat pumps. These pumps are located under your home and pump the natural heat of the earth to keep you warm. This system can be costly but the pumps use very little power and can last up to fifty years. Invest in this system if you are going to stay in a home for decades.
Always have a backup power source for a wind generation system. Your system needs to be able to account for low-wind days. This backup could be another type of renewable source, such as a battery system powered by solar, or a diesel generator. Another option is to have the home plugged into the more information utility power grid.
Think about getting a hybrid car. Electric cars have many flaws, including the low number of charging stations. With a hybrid car, you can use either gas or electric power, depending on what is available. Invest in a hybrid vehicle if you live close to a charging station or can get your own.
Appliances can be a big, unnecessary energy drain. Find out how much energy each of your appliances are using. Work to replace those larger appliances that are inefficient and outdated, and unplug the smaller ones - like computers and television sets - when they are not in use. Setting all appliances on a timer switch is another way to ensure that you don't waste energy.
The average washing machine uses a lot of hot water. It can use over 30 gallons each load. Cut down on its hot water usage by washing in cold water. Many people struggle with this because they insist on having the water warm. If you're one of them, try replacing your machine with an Energy Star unit. Many modern detergents clean clothes really well at low temperatures.
A good green energy solution to replace cleaning products in your home is to use olive oil. By using olive to clean certain things around the home, you are avoiding the synthetic chemicals, compounds and substances that aren't very environmentally friendly which are present in the many household cleaning products you find on the market.
In a colder climate, make sure you weatherize your windows to be energy efficient. This will not only help you stay much warmer, but it will save you on energy costs. You can have this done for a fee, or you can do it yourself after purchasing the necessary products.
A great way to go green is to replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights or LED's. These light bulbs use about one fifth of the energy as regular light bulbs but can last up to twelve times longer. They also don't generate as much heat so they are particularly useful in the summer months.
To help you increase the amount of green energy you use in your home, try starting by using one room at a time. Powering your home using green energy can be very expensive so if you are in financial hardship, identify the rooms with the most energy usage and start with those first.
During very hot days, make sure that the doors and windows stay closed. During the night when the temperature is cooler, keep them open. This can help keep your home at a good temperature without having to use the air conditioning. This can lead to less energy usage and more savings.
Going green isn't always so complicated. As you have learned from http://www.livescience.com/topics/global-warming this article there are a lot of ways you can green up your life for the better. Make use of the information you have read here. Choosing green energies will have positive results on your home and on the environment.
