what are things you can change to make your house more green living……say solar panels and how many and what else…light bulbs that are 12 volt what about cooking heating air conditioning….how to do it and where to find info on it…
what are things you can change to make your house more green living……say solar panels and how many and what else…light bulbs that are 12 volt what about cooking heating air conditioning….how to do it and where to find info on it…
The easiest thing to do is to change your light bulbs. Make sure your faucets don’t leak. Ask your power company where your power comes from (said info is often not readily avialable on their website) and if it doesn’t come from renewable sources, ask them to change. If they won’t talk to power companies who will… Buy food locally! This is key! the lettuce you had in your salad could have traveled thousands of miles to your plate; buying from local producers is ideal. They typically use fewer pesticides and less coal-based fertilizer. you can even buy meat locally! I do and I live in the Northeast US!!!
If you already own your own home, consider putting shades on south facing windows in the summer. This will keep the heat out. In the winter, you can let the heat in by opening the shades.
Minimize your hot water intake – one easy thing to do is to lower the temp of your hot water heater (or boiler).
Most importantly, remember it can be fun to try to reduce your imprint on the earth! Set challenges for yourself. Keep a monthly graph of your oil, propane, electric, etc.. bills and see how you are doing! Progress Motivates!!!
For the average person, it is simply doing everything you can to reduce water and power usage, and recycle as much as you can.
Insulate
Seal leaks
keep house warmer in summer
Keep house colder in winter
Use CFE’s for light bulbs
Turn up your hot water thermostat
The above are the simple things anyone can do and it will not only conserve but it will save you money.
The next phase is if you can afford it.
Solar Power
Wind Power
Geothermal cooling/heating systems
replace old appliances with high efficiency ones
On demand hot water heaters
Grey water systems
Rain water systems
Move into a very small house and get a little car.
IREP. period.