Reduce Your Levels Of Home Energy Use

Feb 27

07:50

2013

Keith Barrett

Slowly but surely, more and more homes nationwide are turning green. Small lifestyle and domestic changes can make a big difference, and an increasing amount of people are keen to sustain the planet's environment. Of course, greener living isn't just about reducing carbon emissions. Many homeowners choose to reduce their energy usage to save money on costly utility bills. Whatever the reason, energy efficiency in the home can easily be achieved with these household changes.

Install Solar Power

The popularity of solar power has really taken off in recent years, and it's not an uncommon sight to see solar panels adorning the roofs of households and businesses. The majority of solar power installations are used to provide hot water by absorbing the heat from sunlight and transferring it into a water cylinder. During the summer, the renewable energy system is capable of providing the majority of a typical household's hot water needs. While the system is less effective in the winter, solar panels still work on cloudy days without direct sunlight. The great benefit about solar power is that it is a scalable technology. While some homeowners may choose to make a large investment in renewable energy technology with roof panels, others can use it to make small changes like outdoor lighting and small solar panel electricity chargers.

Biomass Heating

Many households are choosing to replace their costly immersion boilers with biomass heating systems. Wood fuelled stoves and boilers are much cheaper than electric heating, and the carbon emissions from burning biomass is much lower than that of fossil fuels. Also, by buying from trusted locally sourced wood pellet and chip producers, biomass users can be assured that their fuel suppliers are replanting and cultivating plants and trees. Biomass heating can be the ideal solution for howeowners looking to heat an entire house or just a single room.

Be Energy Aware

Of course, reducing the levels of domestic energy doesn't have to involve making costly, long-term changes to the heating or water systems of the home. Small changes can make a big difference, too. Many utility companies offer free energy-saving packs to customers. Water suppliers provide energy saving shower heads and toilet flushes to conserve water, and electricity companies have real-time energy meters to show how much electricity is being used per hour. Making small changes to daily routines, like remembering to switch off the lights and only half filling the kettle, all add up. They can go a long way towards reducing household energy consumption.

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