Having green energy at home is an excellent method of protecting the environment, while saving money. Purchasing an electric car is not necessary! Read the article below for easy tips to live a green, energy-efficient lifestyle regardless of your budget.

One simple way to recognize products and appliances that are energy efficient is to locate those with the ENERGY STAR designation. In order for appliance to be labeled with the ENERGY STAR logo, they must meet certain guidelines established by the United States Department of Energy in addition to the Environmental Protection Agency. Products that meet ENERGY STAR criteria are usually eligible for some form of tax rebate.

You may want to install solar panels on the roof to create a more eco-friendly home. Although the upfront costs for solar panels are significant, they will pay for themselves in just a few years. Once the panels are in, solar power is free; you might even be able to sell power to local utility companies.

Be sure to check the doors of your refrigerator and freezer to make sure the seal is tight. Seals that are broken can cause your appliances to run more than they normally would require. This will waste energy and your money! To determine whether or not the seal needs to be replaced, close a piece of paper in the door and ensure that it doesn’t slide out too easily.

Choose environmentally-friendly lighting for your home. There are a lot of different compact fluorescent bulbs and they are affordable alternatives when compared to regular incandescent bulbs. CFL’s emit the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, but use only a small amount of energy. Doing something as simple as switching light bulbs can help make your home more environmentally friendly.

Using bright and light wall colors is an easy way to conserve electricity. Darker colors absorb light, and therefore, need increased lighting to brighten the space. More lighting equals more electricity. Choosing lighter colors for your walls not only saves you money on energy costs, but it also makes your home feel naturally brighter.

Solar water heaters are an inexpensive and efficient way to heat your home’s water. If you live in a place with normally warm temperatures, try installing a system that uses a solar heater. You still should keep your regular water heater as a backup because there may be times when there isn’t a lot of sun or you have to use a lot of water that’s hot.

Try bamboo products when buying wood items. Bamboo grows fast and in abundance; it does not have the same negative environmental impact as cutting down trees. It is a fast grower, and can be made into many different products like cutting boards to flooring, which you can purchase. Thanks to this, energy is saved when it comes to production and recycling.

Try collecting rainwater for use in appliances, like your toilet. Your water bill will decrease and this also benefits the environment. It’s very easy to collect rainwater; just place jars and buckets outside if it’s about to rain, and when they are full, close the lid.

One of the simplest ways to be environmentally friendly is to install a water-saving toilet. Some estimates show that toilets account for 50 percent of the water use in a home. Older toilets use about 5 gallons per flush, while the newer, water-saving toilets need only 1.6 gallons of water for each flush, cutting your annual water usage by up to 70%.

Try to use cold water for washing clothes. Almost all of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water. As long as your detergent is good, cold water washing can be just as effective as warm water. Additionally, do not run the washer until it is full so as to maximize your energy use.

Do you currently own a farm? You could rent a small portion of your property to an energy company willing to install a wind turbine. You will benefit from the wind turbine’s free energy and it will take up minimal space.

Keep track of how much electricity is used in your home with a home energy monitoring device. These monitors gather real-time electricity usage numbers and can provide you with an estimate of your power bill. Research shows that people are likely to reduce their electricity consumption when they could see the costs associated to their appliances.

Reduce microwave energy use by thawing your frozen food items in your refrigerator. Thawing frozen foods in the fridge is safer. It also helps save energy by providing extra cold air for your refrigerator as the food thaws.

A few examples of energy efficient changes you can make at home are changing your furnace’s filter on schedule, installing CFL bulbs and using a programmable thermostat. Set and be a great example for your friends and family, when you do this they’ll see how simple it is to convert and go green. Utilize the tips in this article and put them in place today.

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