There are a lot of simple things that do not cost much that can be done in the home to save money and reduce energy usage, and end up making wind power and solar power systems more efficient. These are things like using energy-efficient light bulbs, unplugging appliances when not in use and adjusting your thermostat. Those will make a difference but there are some other adjustment that need to be done to truly reduce your energy usage and help impact your carbon footprint. Anyone looking into alternative renewable energy resources must do as much as possible to reduce the load that is used each day, in order to give those systems a chance of working without overloading them and include the cost in the overall budget for the project.
Here is a list of five more costly things to consider before installing wind power and solar power systems in your home.
- Buy energy-efficient appliances. Any appliance that is more than ten years old will be using more power than it needs to. With modern energy technology they are making appliances in such a way as they use less and less electricity. The Energy Star rating is becoming the accepted standard. This can be done one at a time, starting with the oldest appliance and when that is paid for move on to the next.
- Caulking and or weather stripping the windows and doors will help reduce the leakage. The caulk itself is not high cost, but you need a lot of it, and a lot of time. They have caulking today that are designed for thermal use.
- Adding insulation, as much of and wherever you can is one of the bigger things to do. Insulation is easy to avoid because of all the little particles, but it can make a huge difference. Adding an extra layer in the attic or crawl space, is just one easy step,
- Installing new energy efficient windows will make the difference between night and day. Tax credits are often available for this one. These new windows are designing to let the sun come through in the winter and keep it out in the summer.
- When it is time to replace your roof, go the extra mile and use the most energy-efficient tiles and colors. New advances in this technology are coming in all the time.
Each one of these suggestion will make a huge difference on its own and collectively you would be amazed at how much less power you use. Anyone who takes these steps are the optimal candidates for successful wind power and solar power systems like solar panels or wind generators.
