Mirsad Hasic, editor of the website Alternative Energy Geek, provides useful tips on how to make your home more energy efficient and save money on energy bills.
The average person spends too much money on energy bills, since the majority of people are unaware of how to make their energy usage green. Green energy does not necessarily have to come from alternative energy sources, as it could simply involve making your current energy source more efficient. For example, insulating your home can eliminate leaks, which cause you to use more energy. In the end, the less energy you use, the better it is for the environment and your bank account, so it makes sense to save as much energy as possible.
Thermostat
If using a traditional energy source, you can make it greener by installing a programmable thermostat. This allows you to pre-set the temperature that you wish to keep your home at, so you do not have to worry about any fluctuations. You can set your home to a comfortable temperature and the thermostat ensures that the house stays at that temperature throughout the day. Many people allow their homes to cool off at night, since they will be sleeping anyway. Keeping your home at a relatively consistent temperature prevents your furnace or air conditioner from having to work too hard to heat or cool the place at any time, which saves energy.
Furnace and Air Conditioner
You also have the chance to purchase a furnace or air conditioner with an Energy Star label. Energy Star furnaces come with a higher Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating, which means that they do not waste as much energy as other models. The majority of the new furnaces on the market come with a higher efficiency rating, although they are not all created equally. The best furnaces have a rating of over 90%, so they waste under 10% of the energy that they put out. While installing one of these furnaces does have startup cost, it will save you money in the long run.
Air conditioners come with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The minimum that you can currently purchase has a 13 rating, although many models have a rating of over 14. Once again, it will cost you a little bit to install a new central cooling unit, but you will save that money and then some in the long run.
Heat Pumps
If you wish to go with a different energy source within the home, electric heating is the way to go because it is much more efficient than natural gas. If you purchase a heat pump, it provides you with three times more heat than the equivalent amount of energy that it uses. This means that you get more heat for your money than you would with natural gas, making it a great way to save energy and money.
Three types of heat pumps exist, starting with air-to-air. Air-to-air pumps take warmer air from outside of your home and pump it into your home. They can also remove warm air from the home in the summer and replace it with cooler air. Water source heat pumps take heat from the water outside of your home and transfer it into warm air, while ground source pumps take heat from the ground. Whichever heat pump you choose can end up saving you 30% to 40% on your heating bill.
Solar Power
To supplement your in-home energy, you can look into using solar panels. What you do is add a few solar panels to the roof of your home, as they will store the sun's energy for you to use. In some cases, these panels can lower the cost of heating your home by more than 50%. You can also use solar energy to cool your home. Keep in mind that you must install these panels in strategic locations to get their full effect. It might be a good idea to have them professionally installed by someone who is experienced with creating efficient, green energy within the home.
Hot Water Heaters
To decrease the amount of energy needed to run your hot water heating, you should look into purchasing an Energy Star model. Although this will cost you some money to start, it will save you thousands of dollars over the years, since it can save you about 30% per month on your heating bills. It is also possible to use solar power to heat your water, which saves you ever more money. In addition, using a solar powered hot water heater eliminates more than 50 tons of potential carbon dioxide from being produced and put into the atmosphere. That amount is for a single solar powered hot water heating, so you can see how much damage can be avoided if everyone changes.
Appliances
Appliances like refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and washing machines can all be purchased with Energy Star ratings. All fridges and freezers with an Energy Star sticker use at least 20% less energy than those without the sticker. In addition, dishwashers use at least 41% less energy and washing machines use at least 50% less energy. All of these appliances have special options that can help you reduce your energy usage even further which, in turn, saves you even more money.
Saving Money at Home
In the end, you will have to pay a little bit of money upfront to make your home greener, but it brings you some long-term cost saving benefits. You can even make your existing energy source greener, as long as you choose products that make efficient use of that energy. Helping the environment, while saving yourself some money is a situation from which everyone benefits.
Author: M.H is writing for the Alternative Energy Geek where he shares his thoughts on renewable and alternative energy sources.
Right now Appliances that consumes lesser energy compared to those regular brand are practical. They might be expensive bu think for the long term use of. If you compute the amount of the bill that you are saving then you'll know it's worth buying for.
ReplyDeleteA good post that gives tips one can use to save money at home. I also agree with what work at home jobs says. I mean it is worth spending a little extra money on a heat pump if it can save you money in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article. In some point, a homeowner needs to spend a little money to make the entire home greener. Energy Star rating is important when buying appliances. This will ensure that the motors are safe to use and will consume just enough amount of energy.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I never have tried dishwashers. I have lessen my expenses a lot this past few months since I only live with my two younger kids at home. I wash our plates manually. And we don't love watching the tube, we only watch the morning and evening news. They don't like cartoons,they spend most of their free time reading books,drawing,or playing with their toys. I am just glad my girls are not that hard too handle,maybe they know it's not easy being a single parent.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in doing a guest post on your site about Heat Pumps. I run heatpumpguide.com and look forward to providing your users with information on Heat Pump systems. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please drop me a line
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