Home Energy Savings

Many of us take our utility bills for granted. We see them as a fixed bill, like our rent or our car payment, something that can't be changed from month to month. That way of thinking needs to be cast out, because there are so many easy ways to save energy in your home. Your energy bill is not fixed. The amount you pay every month to the electric company can be greatly reduced with very little effort and can be reduced even more with a lot of effort.

There are ways to save energy without spending any money. There are ways to save energy by spending $20 or less. Of course, there are ways to save energy by investing a lot of money initially, but you'd be surprised by the return you get on your initial investment.

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels won't be around forever, but at the rate we use them, you'd think they would be. We're driving increasingly less energy efficient cars and ignoring warnings that our electricity consumption will come back to haunt us soon. Recently, the state of California was in a state of energy crisis and was debilitated for a time because of the dependence on combustion energy.

Luckily for us, though, alternatives to fossil fuels are becoming more and more common and are often available to use in our homes and businesses. While the cost of changing the way you use energy could be overwhelming, the energy and money you will save will pay you back. All the fossil fuels you save will help you breathe easier, too!

Renewable Energy: The Wave of the Future

A renewable energy is energy that is reusable, which is not destroyed after one use. Fossil fuels are not renewable. Once fossil fuels are used, there is no way of getting them back, aside from waiting a few million years or so. Renewable energy comes in many forms. There is geothermal energy, or energy from heat in the Earth, which is becoming more and more popular every day. There's also wind energy, solar energy and hydropower, or energy that comes from water.

Small Savings

Our home energy savings don't have to be brought about by big changes, though. In fact, even small things like changing what kind of lights we use or turning up the thermostat on our refrigerators. If we all make an effort to make small changes, big changes will take place.

One of the best programs available to energy conscious consumers today is the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. The EPA tests and ranks energy efficiency on everything from answering machines to clothes dryers. The products that rank the highest receive the EPA's Energy Star sticker approval. Look for it next time you're in an appliance store.

A Little Insulation Goes a Long Way

Investigating different kinds and methods of insulation could also help you reduce your energy bills. Find out what kind of insulation you've got, what the R-value is, and how well it's been installed. Does it cover all of your walls and get into all the strange nooks and crannies of your home? Does it cover the entire floor of your attic? You could be losing a lot of money every year through lousy insulation.