For many people out there, it's hard to talk about the planet and going green. There are a lot of different political and religious views on the subject, and what's suggested to someone in order to help heal the planet's atmosphere may be taken as a direct insult to what they personally believe. Well, as Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson so eloquently put it, "Science is right no matter what people believe." So if you've been missing the bus, now's the time to hop on to arrive at "greener" pastures.
If you're not the type of person to change out of fear for the planet, perhaps you would want to change due to the money you can save on your bills. This is where something as simple as a low-wattage light bulb change can save you hundreds of dollars every year. With florescent and LED bulbs today, a 30-watt bulb can give you the lighting equivalency of a 100-watt bulb, thus saving you 70 percent in energy usage.
Another great way to save big without having to invest a lot is to simply monitor your energy usage throughout the home. For example, when you're not watching the TV, make sure that your TV, cable box, and other devices hooked to it are turned off. This can equate to huge savings in energy usage. And you can even go a step further and actually unplug the appliances altogether when they're not in use. You will notice the savings the next month.
One of the biggest reasons that people avoid things like solar panels is that these rigs cost a whole lot of money. For a solar rig powerful enough to supply your entire home with electricity, you could be looking at over $25,000! However, there are a lot of grants out there to assist you in your purchase, as well as huge tax rebates. In some states, you can actually make money by having solar panels installed once your benefits clear.
For people living in older homes, you have to face the reality that the insulation used in your walls and attic is very outdated. That old, pink fiberglass-based insulation doesn't do much but protect you from the extremes. Today's material, however, will help to keep your home cool in the summer without an AC and warm in the winter without cranking the heat. This makes a monumental difference in how you consume energy.
One of the best ways to provide electricity to smaller appliances in your home (or for your entire home if you have the setup necessary) is to use batteries. Something as simple as a car battery with a converter can help you power something like a TV, and the battery can be recharged time and again for a decade or more. Hooked to a solar panel or a wind generator, you have free electricity indefinitely.
So, after reading the article above, are you ready to go green yet? As you can see from the advice given, it's doesn't take much on your end to make it happen. If you're willing to commit to the process, you can benefit by going green.