Renewable Clean Energy Info

Archive for the ‘conservation’ Category

Electrical energy was one of man’s greatest discoveries. It has helped build new civilizations. The large amount of electricity produced has its source in fossil fuels, nuclear fission, water, and wind. This article will explore the different methods of electricity production.

Electricity is churned out by enormous turbines. These turbines need a support to be moved. There are various ways of moving these turbines:

By burning fossil fuels: Electricity is produced when the blades of a turbine are moved by enormous amounts of vapour. This vapour is generated by heating a lot of water in huge furnaces. The water is heated by burning fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. This method releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide in the air, thus severely polluting our atmosphere. It is important to turn to alternate methods of electricity production for long-term benefits.

By water: You must have heard how dams are constructed to produce electricity. A popular method to produce electricity, a water dams serves two purposes: restricting water bodies and producing electricity. Water dams use the river water to move turbines, helping them produce electricity. Electricity generated this way helps control air pollution; however, this method of electricity production adversely affects the ecosystem in the water bodies.

Water accounts for 90 percent of the world’s electricity generated through renewable resources.

By wind: Electricity is produced when wind energy is converted to electrical energy. Wind mills or wind turbines are used to churn up enormous amounts of wind energy which is then converted into electrical energy.

The latest in wind energy advancement tells us that wind energy is helping create portable cell phone chargers.

By nuclear fission: Yes, nuclear fission does not only make atom bombs, but also helps produce electricity. Nuclear fission causes a chain reaction where the element Uranium is bombarded by neutrons causing it to split. Every time a Uranium nucleus is split, more neutrons are released, causing more splits in the already split Uranium nuclei. The resultant chain reaction generates a lot of heat which is used to heat water the vapour of which eventually moves turbines to create electricity.

By bio-waste: With technological advancements, electricity is also being produced by bio-waste. Bio-gas is a typical way of generating electricity in rural areas in countries like India. In fact, a new technology evolved in the state of Bihar in India that uses human waste to generate electricity.

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If you were living on a mobile home temporarily or permanently, you surely would want to cut down your electric consumption just like others who would like to cut down theirs.

Here are several ways in making your mobile home energy efficient:

· Improving the roof paintjob

In the hot and humid months of June, July, August, and September, mobile homes tend to heat up. This is because mobile homes are not built with much ventilation. On regular homes, large attics the separate the outside from the inside keep houses cool. Vents on these attics further contribute to reduction of heat penetration to the house. The space separating the roof of a mobile home and the ceiling is not enough to keep the inside cool. As a result, air conditioning system works harder during hot summer days. Thus, consuming more energy. To lessen the heat penetration to the home, cool roof coating can be done.

Do this when it is not raining since cool roof coating is water-based.

Repainting the roof of your mobile home to deflect the heat that can potentially penetrate to the inside.

· Providing better roof insulation

Many people, even a mobile home contractor would suggest that you couldn’t do anything to improve the insulation of your mobile home. To tell you honestly, they are totally wrong. You can access the roof cavity from the edge of the roof that is connected with the wall or from the directly through the rooftop. Doing so will save you as much as 15% of your total cooling system consumption.

You can do this on your own or find someone who knows how to do this.

· Maintaining a good air conditioning

Air conditioning occupies the biggest chunk of your electric bill. This is why you need to make sure that you get the most out of it. To so this, check your air conditioning system regularly. You can start with the air duct. Make sure that the air duct is sealed. Any small leak would let the outside air to enter, thus making the air conditioning to work harder.

Your mobile home’s air duct is usually located underneath. You may want to skirt your mobile home to the ground of few inches from the ground to protect the duct during winter and summer. Skirting would also provide additional protection from your pets to destroy the duct.

· Air sealing your mobile home

The best way to keep the air outside from entering is to seal every spaces of your mobile home. Windows, doors, and other openings can be sealed by weather stripping, a rubber sealant that keeps that interior airtight.

Doing this will let the air from coming out of the mobile home.

· The mobile home location

Sitting your mobile home under the shade would let you save from air conditioning. Since shades draw away heat even before it reaches the roof of your mobile home, your air conditioning will not be forced to cool the interior.

· Ensuring the water heater

The water heater takes 14% of your total energy consumption. This is the second largest energy consumer next to the air conditioning system. If your water heater is located outside the compartment, it surely takes additional energy load since the heat is lost because of the outside air. You cannot cover it of course for safety purposes. Instead, you can use insulation jacket. This will keep the heat inside the tank.

The thermostat dictates the energy consumption of the water heater. If you have less water demand, 120 degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient enough. For larger water consumption, 140 degrees Fahrenheit is usually required.

· Windows

Proper selection of shutters, shades, and drapes is important to keep the heat inside or away from the mobile home. But, you have to use them properly. Close them during the night to keep the cool air from the outside away and open it during the day if you are not using air conditioning. Use thick shutters, shades, or drapes during winder to keep to cool air from coming in.

Consider all these to make sure you maximize the use of power in your home. In turn, you will save money on electric bills.

We are blessed with the discovery and proper utilization of energy around us. There are several sources of energy that makes our living easier. Energy lights up our home every night, keeps us warm during cold winter, allows us to be entertained, and makes our living pleasant no matter what time of the day. And with all the other uses of energy from the moment we check our clocks in the morning to keeping us warn as we rest during the night, all of us would agree that it would be so hard to llive without it.

We can say that we have sufficient energy supply for a lifetime but that does not mean that we are not going to conserve it. After all, technology has its price. And that price is something we have to pay with cash.

And if coping with electric bill is your problem every time you see your bills, here are the ways on how to lower them:

· Provide good roof coating

A good roof coating deflects heat. And so, insuring that the roof receives a good coating would mean insuring you that your house would maintain good temperature on the inside.

· Keep your attic well ventilated.

Your attic is one of the more important parts of your house when it comes to the cooling system. The attic is your first and probably the most effective part of your house the keeps the whole house cool. But, in order for your attic to do its main purpose, make sure that it is well insulated.

Provide vents where the heat can come out during summer. Your attic door must also be sealed to ensure that the air from our house does not go through it and vice versa. The attic door can be sealed with weather strippers.

· Securing all the leaks.

Leaks contribute to high cost of home energy. Why? It is because air from your house can easily come out from these leaks. And the air from the outside can easily enter the house. Both increase the workload of your heating and cooling system.

You have to remember that air moves according to air pressure and temperature. Since the temperature of inside your house is most of the time different from the temperature outside, air moves freely from these leaks. Making sure that the leaks are sealed would mean less work on your heating and cooling system and lower electric bills.

Leaks would come from fireplaces, ducts, doors, ceilings, floors, walls, windows, plumbing penetrations, electrical outlets, fans, and vents.

· Reducing the thermostat

One degree centigrade is equivalent to 5% electric bill savings. Therefore, keeping your thermostat low will save you a lot of money. A total saving would also come from switching your thermostat further low when you are not home or if you are sleeping. The ideal temperature during winter is not higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Limiting the use of water heater

The second largest electric consumer next to your heating and cooling system is your water heater.

When you wash you clothes, you don’t need to heat the water up. Just use the water from the faucet. This will save you by as much as 90% in washing machine energy consumption.

· Use energy efficient material around your home.

There are commercially available materials that would significantly contribute to the reduction of the cost of home energy. One of these is energy efficient windows that deflect the outside temperature (whether during winter or summer) from entering your home.

· Use your appliance efficiently

It is pretty basic for all of us to turn off televisions, air conditioning, stereos and other electronic gadgets when not using them. However, most still disregard this. The reality is; we can save a lot if we only learn how to turn them off if not in use. Also, small things such as iPod chargers, cellphone chargers, digital clocks, lights and other things that seem to consume small electric current that remain plugged day in and day out contribute to your electric bill. Making sure you unplug them would certainly lower down your monthly electric consumption.

You have the details. All you have to do is to make sure you follow them all.

We all know how much of a headache bills can be. We all hate going to the mailbox, only to find a heap of bills waiting for us. There’s nothing more painful than paying for utilities. It seems that when we receive electricity bills, we are always surprised at how much energy we consume.

However high our house energy bills are, we see them as something we have to endure. After all, we all need to pay for our electricity, right? So whenever we see those high energy bills, we react with resignation, dig deep into our pockets and pay whatever the electric companies demand.

What you need to know is that there are ways to lower those house energy bills. There are a lot of simple and practical ways to conserve energy. By using these methods, you can significantly lower your house energy bill.

First of all, you need to realize that all the little things matter. You need to understand that there are a lot of small things we do that are wasteful of house energy. Some of these little wasteful habits may seem insignificant, but if they are combined, they might amount up to one third of your house energy bill.

Here are some of the habits which can cost you a lot.

1) Leaving the refrigerator door open – Some people may not see this habit as something that would significantly affect their energy bill. However, given the right information, you will see that this habit can actually cost you a lot of money.

You see, a refrigerator works by absorbing the heat within the compartment. If you open the refrigerator door, you let heat enter the system, which means that the refrigerator needs to consume more electricity in order to lower the temperature. By leaving the refrigerator door open, you are essentially trying to absorb all of the heat energy in the house.

Oh, yes, If you still do not know, the little light does go off when you close the refrigerator door so don’t waste energy by trying to find out.

2) Leaving the lights on – This is a very common mistake made by every household in the world. Most people forget to turn off their lights and these lights consume electricity. Sure, one light turned on may not consume much house energy, but what if all your lights were left on? Surely, this would cost you a lot on your electricity bill.

If you can, you might want to open up your shades and let the sun shine into your life. Some people actually tend to draw their shades and then turn on their lights, what’s more wasteful than rejecting free energy?

If you can’t help forgetting to turn the lights off, you may want to consider buying some energy-saving lamps. These lights may cost you more when you first buy them, but these are guaranteed to save you a lot on house energy in the long term. By investing in these lights, you will be able to cut a lot off your house energy bill.

3) Playing with the thermostat – People hate being bored. However, please do not try and ease your boredom by turning the temperature up and down. Whenever you get the urge to adjust your thermostat, ask yourself this question: am I feeling uncomfortable because of the temperature or is it all in my head?

The same advice goes for air conditioners. Sometimes, people blame their discomfort on the temperature. However, you need to be honest with yourself and leave the thermostat alone, ok?

Here are some things you should do to conserve house energy:

1) Try to look for alternatives – In order to save on your house energy, try to look at alternative energy options. You see, there are a lot of different home alternative energy devices available in the market today. These devices can actually support small home appliances by supplying them with free energy.

2) Try to look for energy-saving devices – There are a lot of devices available today that can maximize your house energy efficiency. These devices often only require you to plug them into a socket and they monitor your energy consumption. These ensure that no energy is wastes when you are operating your house appliances. For now, these may cost you a pretty penny, but as the technology continues to develop, expect prices to drop significantly.

The summer days, ice storms and winter days are just around lurking at the corners. As a matter of fact, every one of us consume an approximate amount of fifty percent of our house energy just so as we can cool or heat ourselves during these seasons. We are unable to survive comfortably without getting enough heat during the coldest days and getting enough coolness whenever it is the peak of the summer season. As a result of this human craving, the cost of energy consumption is affected. Through all the time, the amount paid for the house energy consumption is continuously rising. This is one thing which cannot be altered even by the advantages in technology itself. Luckily, there are simple tips which need to be practiced in each of the households and they do guarantee one thing—and that is with regards to cutting down your escalating energy consumptions. You will hence profit a lot from these house energy saving tips and you can also be turned into an environment-friendly individual.

In most of the households in the country, the cooling and heating procedures are the biggest factors that trigger the energy costs to rise. Like for example, a home which is poorly insulated prompts a great dose of cool and warm air to escape towards the exterior portion of the home. As the heat rises up, a great deal of it escapes all towards the poorly insulated ceilings and attics. In the same case, the cool air tends to fall therefore a less insulated flooring will also allow its escape. Without telling things straightforward, so much home energy gets wasted with this kind of setup. The poorly set fittings of the windows and doors are also contributory factors to the wasting of house energy.

As a great defense, what you need to do is to have the walls, floors, and ceilings thoroughly insulated. Such improvement plans may cost you a good deal of amount especially with old houses in possession but then you can always seek the help of the federal government with regards to this matter. The federal government usually proportionate subsidies for these kinds of renovation undertakings. Take note also that the savings that you will be working on will increase as the months pass by and you will just realize how good it has been for you to get on with the endeavor.

So have you made up your mind? Do you now intend to put in enough money into your pocket? You can save as much as 10% from your monthly electrical bills by trying to eliminate as much air leaks that exist in your home. Logically seeing things, the summer days allow the warm air to leak inside your home while the winter days let the air leak out of the home. Hence, this continuing practice promotes a great deal of house energy waste. The best thing that you can do to cut down your monthly electrical bill expenses is to do some caulking, sealing, and weather-stripping the cracks, seams, and openings all around your house.

For a few tips, read on!

Check out the air tightness your home has. During one windy day, get a lighted incense stick and then place it near the most potential air paths directing you to the outside path such as the doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, electrical boxes, ceiling fixtures, and electrical outlets. Once you see the smoke blowing in a horizontal direction, there you’ve found an air leak and which must be sealed, caulked, or weather-stripped at once.

Seal and caulk those gaps wherein ducting, plumbing, or electrical wirings infiltrate into and then out of the home.

Look for gaps or holes under the insulation and seal them using the stapled plastic over those holes and then caulk them at once at the edges with plastics.

Set up rubber gaskets at the back of the outside switch plates and wall outlets.

When the fireplace is not at all used, always keep close the flue dumper.

Storm windows or double-pane windows must be installed as replacements for the single-pane windows. The set of windows used in your homes can comprise as much as 10-25% of the heating bill. Securing them will likewise help you save up.

One requirement of a house is that it should be comfortable to live in. Of course, many people will say that a house cannot be called that if it cannot be inhabited. In order to make a house comfortable, certain aspects of civilization are required. We need to have the benefits of technology within the house in order for us to live in it.

Let’s face it: few of us can live without the benefits of technology. Only by having the conveniences of our times available do we stand a chance at actually having comfortable lives. However, comfort does have a price. In order to have these technological conveniences we need to consume energy. Energy costs money and, as people will tell you, money is not easy to come by.

People try to find ways to save money when possible (at least, the smart ones do). An evidence of this is the way a sale can make a product immensely popular. If you take a look around you, you will probably notice that even millionaires try to save as much money as they possibly can at their level of lifestyle.

In order to save money we, of course, try not to waste any of it. Most people would rather not spend on anything that they do not need. Electricity bills have a way of making you feel cheated out of your money. People feel that electricity bills cannot be controlled, hence, they should just be paid. This is because people feel that electricity is a necessary part of life and thus, the costs of electricity cannot be reduced, only paid.

However, if you really try to look into your situation, you might be surprised to see that there are, in fact, many ways in order to make your house energy efficient. By having an energy efficient house, you can cut back on the cost of electricity and only pay for what you are really consuming.

There are many ways to make a house more energy efficient. These methods are often found by other people to be time-consuming and expensive. However, those who have chosen to employ these methods find that the savings you get by having an energy efficient house is definitely worth the effort.

One thing to consider in making an energy efficient house is material. The materials you use in building a house significantly affect the cost of heating and cooling. By choosing your materials wisely, you can have a house that does not consume much energy to maintain a comfortable temperature level.

Another thing to consider is the design. In order to make a house more energy efficient you’ll need the help of an architect. Some architects actually specialize in designing energy-efficient buildings. By going to these people, you can maximize your energy efficiency.

Of course, energy efficient houses may not look like a conventional home. In fact, these houses may even seem a little strange to those who do not realize the purpose of energy efficient designs. However, the technology today has made it possible for architects to incorporate both forma and function in their house designs. This means that you may be able to have a very aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient home.

Also, in order to have energy efficient home, you’ll need to take a look at your surroundings and see if there are any alternative energy sources available for you to use. By making use of alternative energy sources, you can significantly lower your electricity bill.

Alternative energy is also known as “free energy” to some people. This is because of the fact that these energy sources are constantly being produced through the earth’s natural processes and are thus, available for harnessing.

In order to harness those alternative energy sources for your home use, you’ll need to have some sort of mechanism or conversion device. Thankfully enough, many home alternative energy devices are now available in the market for those who want their homes to be energy efficient.

Energy efficient homes are possible, thanks to the ever evolving technology. Energy efficient homes show us that it is possible to have all the comforts offered by modern civilization without paying a very high price.

Home energy use comparisons provide useful information to different types of people. By making use of home energy use comparisons, for example, economists can determine how the income is distributed and what methods to use in order to control budget spending on energy bills.

Homeowners also need home energy use comparison reports in order to find out how to minimize their energy consumption and save a little money on their electricity bills. By making use of home energy comparison reports and analyses, you will be able to determine which appliances cost you too much to run and you may be presented with several opportunities to cut back on your energy cost.

In the past, people had to rely on experts for advice on how to save a lot of money on their home energy use. Sure, there were general tips which could be used by everyone to lower their energy use but in order to really save a lot of cash, people needed comprehensive home energy use comparison reports made by specialists.

Technology, however, is constantly evolving. We all know that, right? Thus, it was inevitable that people would find a way to make home energy comparisons more accessible to homeowners.

With the advent of the computer, technological evolution got a jump-start of sorts. As you must have noticed, technological developments have accelerated because of the computer. Nowadays, accessing different types of data and information has been made easier and more convenient for the average person.

Different calculating programs are available today to help you get the home energy use comparison that you need. These programs actually compute your home energy use based on information which you provide.

Dome of these programs not only compute your home energy use, but actually provide comparisons with other homes in order to let you know whether or not you are efficiently consuming your electricity. We all know that in order to gauge ourselves, we need to have standards. By comparing our home energy use to other houses, we can better judge our quality of living.

There are also home energy use calculators that offer you comprehensive home energy use comparison reports and give you tips on how to cut back on your electricity costs. By making use of these programs, you can have an easier time determining which appliance to turn off and which appliance to keep running. It can also give you tips on how to use your energy efficiently by showing you just how much energy is consumed by doing unnecessary things.

Another type of home energy use calculator is made use of by architects and engineers in order to design houses which are more energy efficient. In making use of these tools, they can make sure that the homes they build are not too expensive to live in.
In this type of program, not only is the design of the home taken into consideration, but the materials used in construction as well. You see, the different types of materials used to build a home significantly affect the costs of heating or cooling. Did you know that the cost of climate control accounts for the biggest part of the average electricity bill? By making use of home energy use comparison programs like these, you can make sure that the home you will be having will not need a lot of financial input in order to keep you comfortable.

These types of home energy use comparisons can also point out design flaws and open up some opportunities which may help you take advantage of alternative energy sources. By making use of these programs, you may be able to obtain “free” energy from the environment.

Other programs are specifically targeted to help you cut the costs of energy use. These programs not only calculate and compare your home energy use, but hey also provide you with different resources in order to help you implement different cost-cutting techniques. By making use of these programs, you not only get access to the method of saving, but also to the means.

So you see: these programs can actually make it possible for you to save a lot of cash on your home energy use without having to consult an expert. And that, my friend, is a very good thing.

Did you ever wonder where does your electric consumption go? And did you ever wonder how are you going to save on your electric bill? Well, you need not to ask these questions without getting the right answers anymore. This article will tell you the answers to these 2 questions.

The largest portion of your electric consumption goes to space heating, 47% to be exact. This is almost half of the cost of our electric bill. The other half is shared by lighting and appliance with 24%, water heating with 17%, air conditioning with 6%, and refrigeration with 5%.

With this information at hand, we can easily determine when to start our move to keep the our electric consumption low.

Since the largest part of our electric consumption goes to space heating, we will start here.

Insulating the parts of your home particularly the ceiling and walls save you as much as 30% on heating expenses that equates to 15% savings on total electric cost. Doing this will of course require you to invest on materials that will be placed around your home but it is worth the money. Imagine a $150 savings per year just by insulating your home.

Also, you can further save on heating expenses if you superinsulate your home if you are living in cooler environment.

Doing some changes around your home will certainly make a difference on your electric bill. If you live on warm climate, a shade of a deciduous tree will cool down your area that will save you on air conditioning. An appropriate roof and wall painting will further give you extra savings.

Covering your window with plastic coating will provide extra insulation. This will help to keep the heat from going outside as well as the cold air from going inside the house.

Sealing all the leaks around your home will ensure that the heat will stay inside. Leaks will often come from windows, doors, sills, joints and walls.

A regular maintenance check on the furnace will keep it running efficiently, thus, ensuring you get space heat equals the electricity consumed. A clean air filter will also ensure that you get efficient air recycling as well as clean air. Leaking ducts will make your heating system work 30% more, thus, you are using power and spending more on wasted energy.

A quarter of our electric bill goes to the lighting and appliances. Here, we would concentrate on the control and responsible use of lights and electronic devices.

Make sure that you turn the lights off when not in use. Turn off the lights when you leave the room even for a few minutes. Turn off the stereo and television if you are not using them.

Reduce the thermostat of your refrigerator. It constitutes 20% of your household electric consumption.

Wash your clothes with cold water. You can save as much as 90% on washing machine’s electric consumption if you will not use the heating. You do not need warn water so kill the germs on your clothes. The detergent will do.

Only use the dishwasher if you intend a full load dishwashing. Dishwasher uses the same amount of power and water whether you full load them or not. Also, prefer air-drying your dishes instead of heating them inside the dishwasher.

Reducing the temperature of your water heater will also help you to further reduce the cost of your home energy bill. If the thermostat of your water heater is set on 140 degrees Fahrenheit, lower it down to 120. It will be enough to give you warn water. Invest on water heater jacket. It is cheap but will certainly yield to bigger savings.

If you are going to replace your appliance, make sure you select energy efficient ones. Energy guide details can be seen on the label of each new appliance.

Compact energy bulbs are cheaper and more energy efficient than incandescent lights. Compact lights also last 8-10 times longer than incandescent bulbs so you will also save yourself from buying incandescent bulbs 8-10 times.

Replace your regular showerheads with low-flow ones. This will reduce your water consumption by as much as 40%.

Using home energy everyday is easy. But, receiving high electric bills at the end of the month may be a little hard for you. Since most homeowners like you, want to know how to get those electric bill in a manageable and acceptable digits, there are several systems designed to particularly answer this. Systems that are guaranteed to make your electric bills low.

Here are those:

Insulating – The best way to keep your body warm is by wearing not only just thick clothing, but also clothes that will trap the body heat inside. The same principle goes with keeping your house warn during winter. Keeping good and tight batt insulation around wall enclosures is the best thing to do this. But it is not always the easiest. Any gaps at any point around the wall enclosure will definitely degrade the quality of the insulation installed. Gaps mentioned here are electrical boxes, pipes, and wires; places where batt insulation can be tricky to install even for professionals. As an alternative, you may want to use materials such as cellulose insulation for maximum area coverage. The cellulose insulation eliminates gap and voids, making your walls 100% insulated.

But this is not all.

After insulating your home, you might think you have done enough. It is true that insulating your home well will keep cold air from entering your home and degrading the performance of your heating system. But, your house is not 100% assured that it would e 100% insulated. The next thing is one important thing you should understand…

Airsealing – Leaks around the house are accounted for as much as 40% of your heating and cooling consumption. This means that no matter how good your insulation is, if your house have leaks, you still cannot assure total savings.

Airsealing your home is the next important thing you should remember and do in order to maximize the use of your heating system. Leaks from the front doors must be sealed by weather stripping. Doors leading to garage and attic, and doors to individual rooms should also be sealed. Sealants must be applied on windows, joints and sills. Walls with leaks can degrade the quality of air as well as the performance of your heating system. Leaks from floors will make your heating system work harder as well. All of these should be sealed in order to make your home leak-free that would equate to savings.

Extra savings – Now that you have ensured that your home is well insulated and air-sealed, it is time for you to solve minor problems that add big cost on your home energy.

Cleaning your air filter will give you 2 good effects:

1. Clean air filter reduces the heating system’s demand to work extra.
2. Clean air filter will provide clean recycled air around the house.

Making sure that the ducts are leak free will give you as much as 30% on energy savings from your heating system.

Turn on your appliances only if you will use them. Never leave them on while you were away. Lights should be turned off if not used. Lower down your thermostat if you are away or sleeping.

Set your washing machine to cold. Washing machine consumes as much as 90% more power on heating the water than using tap water.

Using small electric burner when cooking will give you better savings than using large burner. It will also keep your heating system less stressful in maintaining the temperature of the house.

Lower down the thermostat of your refrigerator.

Using your fireplace to warm the house up is much cheaper than using the heating system.

Maintaining – Keeping your home well maintained will give you a lot of savings. Invest on energy saving devices that will keep your home warn at the same time, enables your heating system to work as efficient as possible. Regular check on the leaks of the duct and periodical cleaning of the air filter will certainly make your heating system work efficiently.

With all these, you may now have electric bill that is both manageable and acceptable.

Try all these and see the difference they can do to your monthly electric bill.

Whether you admit it or not, with all the expenses you have in mind, no matter how big your salary is, you still want to save some extra bucks in one way or another. And the best place to start saving is right at your very home; on your power bills. Yes, your power bills.

All your appliances and electric gadget consume electricity and pile up to your ever-growing electric bills month after month contribute to your burden as a homeowner (or a tenant on a rented place). This calls for complete information on how to start lowering your home energy consumption while not depriving yourself with all the technology you have bought.

· Let us start with how well-sealed your home is…

Ensuring that your house is totally sealed keeps your heating devices maximize its use, at the same time, save some energy. If you live on the southern part of the country, a perfectly sealed home keeps the temperature of your house maintained. This will also maximize the power of your air conditioning system.

To do this, keep your window, sills, doorframes, and joints tight. Apply sealant on these places so that the air from the outside does not mix with the air on the inside. Whether you want to heat up or cool down your home, properly sealed house will keep your heater or air conditioning system in its best functions. You surely don’t want the warm or cold air go in and out of your home. This will consume more energy than it should be.

Heat loss can also occur on windows. To prevent this, use plastic window cover. Plastics are best material to insulate and keep the heat of your home inside.

A free flowing heating vents and air grills will maximize the flow of heat in your home. Keep interference such as rugs, furniture and drapes away from them.

On moveable sections of windows and doors, you may want to use weatherstripping. Weatherstrips are rubber materials that seal the movable object from its non-moveable object. This will go on garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, and door of attic.

· Then, proceed on the blinds and drapes…

If you want to keep your home warm during cold weather, choose drapes that would cover the windows entirely. If it is sunny, open the drapes let the sun’s heat insulate your home. In this way, you save a lot of money on heating system.

· The thermostat…

You can lower down your thermostat while you are away and while you are asleep. A centigrade lower equals to 2% saved energy. Again, you may want to turn the heating down if you are not around.

· Then the laundry and dishwashing…

You should know this: You can save as much as 85 to 90% when you turn the dial of your laundry to cold. Heating the water will consume a lot of energy. Also, you can save a lot when you wash full load. One last thing: a front loading washing machine saves you 50% on water and 50% on energy.

Dishwashers consume the same energy regardless of wash loads. Therefore, it would be much energy efficient if you load your dishwasher full.

· Go to the basement…

Most heat is lost when your basement has leaks and drafts on the walls. Make sure you seal these places so that you can conserve a lot of heat and energy. You may also add insulation in your basement to ensure that the heat is conserved.

One good way to know if your basement has leaks or draft is to look for spider webs. When there are web, there are leaks.

· Time to go to the garage…

Do not turn on the heating system at your garage full time. Whether you stay at your garage often or not, you can always heat it up minutes before you get in there. You can save a lot of energy if you do this. Remember: use your garage heating system only if necessary.

· And finally… you electronic devices.

Whether it is your tv, stereo, lights, or any other devices that use electricity, make sure that you turn them off when not in use.