You may have heard about green energy, but you are not quite sure what it all means. If you don’t know where to start to lead a greener, more environmentally conscious life, you must read this article. See the tips presented here to help the planet and save money at the same time.
Use solar heating systems to heat all your water in order to save money. Using natural gas and electricity is certainly the norm, but it’s not very energy efficient. By contrast, solar energy is very efficient, and it keeps water temperatures steady just as well as traditional heating methods. These types of upgrades, while more costly at first, may qualify you for a green energy deduction on your taxes.
Hot water can be obtained in a low cost, environmentally friendly manner through solar energy. Upgrade your hot water system to one that’s solar-powered. There are direct circulation systems and also direct ones. Indirect is the best choice if you have pipes which often freeze in the winter.
When putting in a new solar energy system, the batteries that store the power should be kept really close together to the cells. This will prevent power from being lost in the cable. This also prevents long cables from casting shadows over the PV cells.
Active Solar Power
Learn about the differences between passive and active solar power. Passive solar power doesn’t need expensive cells in order to store power, although active is stored for later use. Active solar power needs to have cells, mechanical systems, and solar panels installed. Passive solar power, on the other hand, just draws heat from the sun and stores it in your walls for heating purposes.
Buy a solar oven to provide for the needs of your kitchen. You can make one using supplies you may already have on-hand like old window panes, boxes, and pieces of aluminum foil. They don’t use any outside energy and can get up to 300 degrees.
Keep an eye on the wattage you are using. There are devices like Watt Minder or Kill-A-Watt that can monitor your wattage and help you see what is consuming energy. Plug the appliance into the device, and it can tell you the amount of energy it uses within an hour, month, or even a year. This gives you a much better idea of the real costs associated with each appliance you own.
Green Energy
Well, now you can see what green energy is all about, and you should be able to use it in your own home. Use the ideas here to get started today with green energy in your own home. This technology will have a positive impact of the environment and your pocketbook.
There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in Santa Clara County where you can make the most impact.