Tech forward ways to introduce green energy into your home
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Introducing green energy into your home is part of the process of reducing energy costs. A homeowner has many options that can be used to achieve this goal. Proper planning is required before homeowners introduce any type of green energy solutions for use at their home.
Photo Credit: Fernando Tomas via Wikimedia Commons
Research
The first step to introducing green energy into a home is to research available information. Homes use a wide variety of energy and the total amount of energy use needs to be known. This can be done with an energy audit of the home. The audit will measure all the energy used in the home and will show if there are any areas that need to be addressed.
Solar Heating
Supplemental heating for a home can be gained by installing a solar heating system. This is a high-tech option for providing additional heat to a home. These units are small-scale systems for spaces in a home that uses a solar collector to heat air or water. The use of solar heating is a cost-effective option for any homeowner who lives in a cold climate and receives a lot of sun. Solar heating is an alternative to home heating that is provided by fuel oil, propane and electricity.
Energy Products
Many utilities and retail energy companies offer green power products. This is when a homeowner has a choice to buy the electricity for their home from renewable sources. Green power products do not use fossil fuels for any energy production. Examples of this are energy that is created from wind generators and hydro-power. There are more than 25 utility companies nationally that offer green power products and countless retailers that offer green products for those living in deregulated states. For example, when looking at energy rates, New York has special offers now.
Energy Certificates
These are available to homeowners from various marketers that offer these certificates for sale. Homes can use these certificates to offset their energy use. A local utility company may also offer a certificate to a homeowner who wants to offset their energy use with renewable energy. There is a tool that is provided by the EPA that can be used to locate utilities and marketers that sell renewable energy certificates.
On-Site Generation
There are many high-tech options that can be installed in a home to generate green energy. There is the option to install solar panels to generate power and even wind generators. A homeowner can choose to install renewable energy generation systems to reduce reliance on conventional electricity. Costs of installation of these systems are typically offset by the energy that is produced. One benefit of using on-site renewable power generation is that excess power can be sold to the utility company for a credit on a customer’s monthly bill.
Additional Information
Homeowners who need help to make their home more energy efficient can use the Home Tool provided by Energy Star. The use of green energy in a home helps to reduce the impact on the environment. This results in decreased energy costs and knowledge of using a green energy solution.
I am always looking for ways to make my flat more efficient. My energy company provided a free efficiency audit which was pretty useful, they also offer discounts on insulation and new heaters. Combined with a tax break the savings are huge.
Nice! I haven’t actually done a lot to make my home more efficient. It’s something I’d like to do when I have some time to really plan things out. Harder to do in a condo though.
My in laws have solar panels that supplement their electricity, they love it and it will pay for itself in only a couple of years.
I hope solar panels continue going down in price. It’s something I would consider if I owned a house or townhouse.
I know several people who work in green energy or permaculture. It is amazing how simple it is to drastically improve the efficiency of the buildings we have!
I *almost* got a job working at an energy monitoring company… they didn’t get funding in time to hire me, but I agree – sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make large changes.
I agree I’m always looking for different ways to cut down on using less energy whether it’s using CFL light bulbs or just turning things off around the house to save more.
On top of that I recently bought several new appliances for my house and they were all energy star efficient. In the end it save us more and helps the environment as well.
I LOVE my energy efficient appliances. I can’t take credit for them because they came with the condo, but they are so quiet and efficient – it costs me less in electricity now, using a washer/dryer, dishwasher, fridge, etc, than before when all I had was a fridge and rarely-used dishwasher.