Everyone wants to be “green”, even if Kermit says it isn’t easy. An excellent first step for the homeowner is to use green energy within their home, but most people don’t know where to start. This article will guide you through some strategies which will help you to green your home in no time!

Plant trees around your home. The trees will help provide shading for you home and therefore will help keep your home cooler in the hot summer months. It will not require as much air conditioning to keep it at your desired temperature. Since trees lose leaves in the winter, they will still allow the sun to come in and help heat your home during the winter months.

You can take advantage of solar power without investing in costly installation. Paying attention to window placement, insulation and landscaping is enough. Get rid of any trees that cast a shadow on your home, add more windows if a room is too dark and add insulation in the walls to retain the solar heat.

If you are planning on installing solar panels, understand the amount of maintenance required. You have to keep the photovoltaic cells clean. If the cells are installed on your roof, this could mean climbing all over your roof as often as once a month. If you are not able to do that, you’ll need to hire someone.

You do not have to spend a lot to be a green energy consumer. You can just change your habits and be green. You can certainly save big by driving the speed limit and not over use your gas pedal. You can save as much as 20 percent on gas if you just follow those two rules.

If you dress warmer, you will help cut energy costs, which helps you to go green. Light or heavy sweaters will both provide you with additional warmth of up to 4 degrees. You don’t need to be cold at home, get yourself some nice warm clothes you can use in your house today!

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 utility power grid.

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 be able to tell you how much money you are losing on inefficient appliances, and they can also give you an accurate estimate of what it will cost to upgrade or replace your systems.

To incorporate green energy into your life, heat your home using biofuel instead of traditional fuels. This way, you can heat your home using renewable, biodegradable and generally, more environmentally friendly energy fairly easily. A wood or pellet stove is a great way to heat your home using biofuel products.

A solar oven is a great consideration if you are an avid baker. These can even be made yourself using items such as a box, a discarded window, and some tin foil. This oven uses only solar energy and can reach cooking temperatures in excess of 300 degrees.

Keep an eye on how many watts of electricity you use. Try using gadgets like the Kill-A-Watt and the Watt Minder to see what in your home uses too much energy. You can plug in various devices into these devices and see how much energy that item uses for periods of time including a hour, month, and even a year. This will show you the cost of your appliance.

To help you increase your clean-energy consumption, try using wind energy. Wind is a very clean type of alternative energy, and it can help you cut your electricity bill a ton. If this solution interests you, check with your local authority to ensure you have proper zoning and also ensure you have sufficient space.

Consider a ground-source heat pump for your home. A ground source heat pump makes use of the constant temperature of the ground in order to heat and cool the home. The ground temperature will be warmer than the air in winter but cooler in the summer, making for highly efficient heat exchange.

If offered in your location, try to switch your electricity company to a Green Power service provider. This is a great way to protect the environment and save you money. If you are unsure if you have one of these providers in your area, the Internet is great resource to find out.

You can lower the temperature setting on your water heater and save money at the same time by insulating your water pipes. Just insulating the hot water pipes can reduce heat loss and raise your hot water temperature by 2-4 degrees F. You will save water as well, as it won’t take as long for the water to heat up.

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!

Invest in rechargeable batteries for all of your electronic needs. Traditional batteries are usually tossed in the trash, causing harm to the environment. Do your part to save your environment, and save yourself some money too, by choosing rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries will end up saving you hundreds of bucks over their lifetime.

While it will take some time, effort and dedication to put what you’ve learned here into effect in your home, the rewards will be worth every second. Lowered bills, less reliance on the grid and a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy, so get started today!

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