Because of the increasing strain that appears to be squeezing American budgets, people are looking for areas in which they can cut costs — and energy is one of those areas. The tips that you read in this article can help you trim your energy costs, so that you can apply those savings toward other needs in your budget.
Instead of running your outdoor lights that are attached to your home’s energy grid, invest in some solar powered outdoor lights. You can find these in a variety of sizes and layouts, ranging from a series of lights that you can put along your front walk or in your bed to larger units that can light up a porch. Gathering energy through the day from the sun’s rays, these lights turn on when things become dark around them. You don’t have to worry about the wiring running up to the house, because they get their current from the sun.
Natural light can make a huge difference in your energy costs. If you don’t have to turn on any lights during the day, you can save a lot of money over time. One way to accomplish this is to squint a lot and to use candles; a more trendy way is to install skylight tubes into your ceiling. These do not have the dramatic visual effect that larger skylights do; however, they do bring natural light from the sky outside, so that you don’t have to turn on the electric lights overhead. The net result is a lower energy bill — and a cooler ceiling.
If you don’t have enough money to put a solar cell array all along the top of your house, you can take an intermediate step and install a hot water system that is solar powered. It just takes half a dozen solar panels, or even fewer. There is a dedicated circuit that runs from the panels to your hot water heater, and on sunny days, the system will send enough energy to your heater to keep your water hot without your having to access the electricity coming from the utility company. You keep your connection to the grid as a backup, but the hope is that the sun can do that work for you.
If you have an automobile that is powered by diesel fuel, it is fairly inexpensive to purchase a filtering kit that will allow you to pour biodiesel into your engine — or even to pour in used cooking oil. If you make an arrangement with some area restaurants to pick up their used oil, you can power your car with the waste of cooking processes, instead of draining the fossil fuel reserves even further.
In some areas, you can get tax credits if you purchase Energy Star efficient appliances, solar panels, or even wind turbines. Talk to energy professionals in your area to see what tax benefits you can gain from going green.
You have a lot of options in the green energy sector. Use the tips in this article to help yourself get started.