Energy Conservation
There are several different ways in which to produce homemade power from renewable energy sources,
though conserving energy is an obvious first step towards reducing and even eliminating your electric bill.
Provided below is a list of things that can be done to save up to 90% of the energy you currently use in
your home:
ENERGY CONSERVATION TIPS
IF YOU AREN'T USING IT, TURN IT OFF
Electricity is wasted every day without our even noticing, because it has become a habit for so many.
Saving on your electric bill could be as simple as turning lights off when you aren't using them, turning
off the television when it isn't being watched (or better yet, watching less television altogether),
not leaving the doors open, etc.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR WINDOWS
During summer, open your windows at night and close them early in the morning, (close the curtains/blinds too) before the sun starts warming up your home.
It may be chilly inside for the first half of the day -- but by about midday, you'll be glad you did this!
USE DRYING RACKS OR AN OUTDOOR CLOTHES LINE INSTEAD OF A DRYER
Set up a clothes line to dry your laundry outdoors in the summer; use a laundry drying rack (or several if needed) indoors in the winter.
Also, if you steam clean your laundry (which also saves about 75% of the energy used by a washing machine), there will be no need to wring
out the clothes before hanging them up, because very little water is actually used by a vapor steam cleaner.
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING
Space heating and water heating can be accomplished using energy from the sun, with systems being affordable to buy or build yourself and
may or may not require electricity. One example of passive solar heating may be the use of a solar evacuated tube
water heater or
wood cook stove as the hot water source for hot water
baseboard radiators to heat your home in the winter.
If combined with even the simplest natural
geothermal heating and cooling system or
even earth tubes, the sun and the earth could provide all of your home heating and cooling needs, year round.
USE PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS (PCMs) FOR HEATING AND COOLING
PCMs work for air conditioning and other heat and energy storage applications by absorbing heat during the day (while changing from solid to liquid state)
and rejecting heat at night (while changing from liquid to solid state). Typical phase change materials include water, calcium chloride salts, waxes,
fats and oils.
USE A SOLAR EVACUATED TUBE WATER HEATING SYSTEM
A solar evacuated tube water heating system is environmentally friendly and can provide water heating all-year long without electricity, no matter
where you live... saving you more than 60% on the electric bill!
USE ALTERNATIVE COOKING METHODS
Learn how to make a solar cooker for summer use and cook with a
wood cook stove in the winter, which could also be used for backup water and/or
space heating (being especially effective with a heat powered stirling fan
for better heat distribution).
REPLACE YOUR REFRIGERATOR
The typical refrigerator uses about 25% of all electricity in the home, and by replacing it with an earth friendly
solar refrigerator, you will be saving on your electric bill and helping
the environment at the same time.
USE A MICRO CHP SYSTEM
A Micro-CHP system will heat your home, your water and produce electricity from renewable fuels such as propane, methane, natural gas, etc.
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