May 15, 2012. Paul Hixon
Do you want to be more environmentally conscious and save money at the same time? Find ways to save on the amount of energy you use in your home and you can do both. Eco friendly homes employ many different ways to reduce energy usage.
Reduce your energy usage and you can save money on your utility bills, and lessen your impact on the environment as well.
Eco friendly homes use various ways of reducing the amount of energy used. Your first step towards an eco friendly home should be to get an energy audit done. You can get a professional in to do the audit, or if you want, you can do it yourself. To perform your own energy audit, it is as easy as walking through your home taking note of areas where you can reduce your energy usage.
Some things to look for when doing your own energy audit include looking, or feeling, for drafts around door and window frames, and where pipes and wires come through from the outside. You can listen for whistling sounds that indicate air is getting through, or you can burn incense sticks and see if the smoke escapes anywhere. Plug up any air leaks and you can save money by saving energy.
A large portion of your energy costs are made up by heating and cooling your home. Eco friendly homes are energy efficient because none of the warm or cool air is escaping through walls and ceilings. You can check your own home to ensure it is properly insulated. Good insulation will result in significant energy savings by ensuring that the air that is heated or cooled does not escape through the walls or ceilings.
Eco friendly homes use different ways to save on energy, including good insulation to reduce heating and cooling costs, and using solar powered deck lights that use renewable alternative energy. Try an energy audit on your home to find out how you can save energy and save money.
Updated May 15, 2012. Published March 15, 2011. Paul Hixon
