You are probably like the vast majority of consumers, who don’t really consider the environmental impact of using common household items. Surprisingly enough, everything in your home impacts the environment in some way. There is much you can do for your household to make it a more sustainable environment. The next few paragraphs will serve as a primer on green energy technologies that you can use in your home.

Solar water heaters are a great option and can significantly decrease the cost involved with heating all of the water in your home. Solar water heaters use the sun’s heat to warm water rather than using natural gas or electricity for heat. While a few of the upgrades are costlier up front, they might be eligible for tax deductions or green energy tax credits.

Renewable Energy

You can get a grant from the government to help you invest into some renewable energy. Check with the local government and see what programs are available to you. Depending on your local energy programs, you could end up getting a renewable energy system set up for your home for free.

You can save electricity by unplugging chargers when they are not in use. Your charger still uses energy while it’s plugged in, even if it isn’t charging anything.

Wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible. Almost all of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water. If your detergent is decent, cold water will be as effective as hot when cleaning your laundry. Don’t forget to wait until you have a full load of laundry to wash; that is the energy efficient way.

Do some research to gain information on the energy sources available to your area. Determine which energy source is cheapest for your home. Don’t forget to account for any government incentives that might be in effect. For example, it might be wise to use natural gas instead of electric heat or water from the well rather than city water.

If you don’t spend much time thinking about the environment, you are not the only one. However, based on what you now know about green energy technologies, you can see that making the environment a priority doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive. Use what you have learned here and start making your home a more environmentally friendly place to live.