As with most people, you probably aren’t thinking environmentally when you make use of many products around your house daily. It may be hard to believe, but even using small appliances has a large cumulative impact on the environment. There are many simple ways to make your home more energy efficient and thereby have a positive impact on the planet. Use the tips found here to lower your energy costs and help the the only planet you have.

Think about getting solar powered lamps for outdoor lighting. Not only are these lamps cheap, but they only need power from the sun. This will save you a ton of energy. It also means you don’t need to wire your outdoor lights.

Install solar panels and reap the benefits easily. Before you do this though, you need to think about a few things first. Think about the amount of sunlight that hits your house on an average day. When in a shaded area, or city with less sunny days, there won’t be as many benefits from solar power.

Be a better consumer of energy, and cut your home energy usage by unplugging your electronic chargers when they are not in use. Chargers for your electronics, such as an iPod or cell phone, are always using electricity, even when they’re not in use, so unplug them when you can.

Do you have your own farm? If so, you can rent some property to energy companies for installing wind turbines. You and the neighbors can relish in the free energy and installation, if it doesn’t require too much space.

Take advantage of solar energy to heat your home’s water without breaking the bank. Look into hot water systems that run by solar power. You have a choice between both an indirect or direct circulation system. If frozen pipes are common in your area, an indirect water heater will be your best option.

When implementing a solar energy system, put the batteries as close to the cells as possible. This will prevent power from being lost in the cable. It can also lessen the probability of cable shading, which reduces power-generation capabilities.

Take time to make sure to properly maintain the fridge. The refrigerator hogs energy, so it should work well. Keep heating coils dust free. Also, make sure that the seal around the door is clean and tight.

There are products available for purchase that can help you reduce your energy costs. Certain green items, such as eco-friendly windows and doors and double glazed windows, cut down on energy you need to keep your home going efficiently. This type of product is perfect for reducing AC costs.

Rather than using an energy-hogging desktop computer, switch to a laptop. These portable machines will reduce your electrical use by 75% while you do everyday tasks. Another benefit of the laptop is that it’s portable, so it can be used anywhere.

Hire experts to check your plumbing and heating systems before investing a lot of money in installing new, greener systems. They can advise you about how much inefficient appliances cause you to lose financially, and they can estimate the price of upgrading or simply replacing your old systems.

Try not to set the heat very high in your home unless it’s an absolute must. If you find the air a little chilly, put on a sweater or an extra pair of socks. When the heat is turned up to a high level, a lot of unnecessary energy is used.

LED lights should be used during the next holiday season. There are many studies from the U.S. to back this up. By having everyone make this change, the country can save 2 billion kilowatt power hours. That amount of power is enough to supply 200,000 homes with electricity for a whole year. An additional benefit to using LED lights is the savings you will receive on your electric bill.

A home heating alternative to be considered is biofuel. Biofuels consist of vegetable or animal fats, wood and oils. Typically, if your furnace uses propane, professionals can easily provide changes so you use these fuels. That is roughly 20 to 99 percent biodiesel. Always speak with a professional who will guide you in how to properly use this type of fuel.

On-demand water heaters are great energy savers. Water heaters that are old-fashioned will constantly run, which in turn heats water when not needed, and this ends up wasting lots of energy. On-demand heaters only heat water when necessary, which greatly reduces energy costs.

Check your freezer and fridge seals to avoid wasting any energy. If the seal is broken it may cause the refrigerator to keep running, which ends up wasting lots of energy, and costs you extra money on utility bills. To determine whether you need to replace your seal, place a thin sheet of paper in the door and see to it that it doesn’t slide out easily.

To make you home greener, install a programmable thermostat. It can save you a significant sum of money your monthly energy bills. These thermostats can be programmed with your own preferred settings to regulate the air temperature in your home year-round. You can also program them to regulate temperatures during night and day hours.

A great way to be green and save some money at the same time is to lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees. You can see significant savings on your energy bill while still having water that is hot enough for your needs.

Add to the demand for green-energy technology in an effort to drive down prices. You can demand that your power be environmentally friendly. The more that you demand them and buy them, more products will be manufactured utilizing these technologies reducing the price of such items. Manufacturers will also be encouraged to upgrade their production practices if they want to remain profitable.

Green Energy

Like most people, you probably haven’t thought about the environment much. Now that you are aware of green energy and what it can do, you can make the necessary changes. You can use green energy to avoid damaging the environment by following these tips.