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Making your household more eco-friendly requires research, diligence, and action. Countries across the globe are pretty reliant on electricity, and unfortunately, these often primitive methods of powering our houses and appliances can have adverse effects on the environment. Making your electricity more eco-friendly is essential to the fight against climate change. While one home won’t make a significant difference, if households across the globe made small changes, it could lead to a massive positive impact.
Adjusting your electricity usage is essential to being more eco-friendly because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. A significant portion of our electricity generates from non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and the combustion of these fuels results in the release of carbon dioxide, exacerbating the global climate change crisis. By preserving natural resources and swapping for renewable alternatives, we can improve air and water quality and increase energy independence.
If you’re looking for ways to reduce electricity usage and make your home more eco-friendly, check out some tips below.
1. Swap to clean energy solutions
When it comes to clean energy plans, there are a few options. While solar energy is growing popular amongst households, hydro and wind energy may be available depending on where you live. Renewable energy sources cut the amount of greenhouse gases and other pollutants your household releases into the atmosphere.
By using clean energy and reducing your carbon footprint, you help slow the effects of climate change and majorly reduce your electricity bill. Clean energy reduces our dependency on fossil fuels, thus reducing our negative environmental impact.
To swap for renewable energy, contact your local electricity supplier and inquire about clean energy options in your community or subscribe to a local solar, wind, or hydro farm.
2. Invest in energy-efficient appliances
If you have some out-of-date appliances in your home, they could be using an inefficient amount of electricity.
Luckily, modern machines reduce the amount of energy they use. Household appliances that put less strain on your power grid work in reducing your electricity bill. These machines can also reduce your risk of blackouts or brownouts because of decreased energy usage. Using energy-efficient appliances reduces your carbon footprint and contributes to slowing the effects of climate change.
Additionally, manufacturers design energy-efficient appliances to be more durable and last longer, producing less waste and demand to create new appliances. You can find energy-efficient refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, laundry machines, and more.
3. Turn off and unplug
Turning off and unplugging appliances when you’re not using them is a significant first step to reducing electricity usage and making your household more eco-friendly. When you leave electronics plugged in, these objects use standby power, potentially accounting for a significant amount of energy used. Reducing your energy consumption has a direct impact on the environment.
Unplugging and turning off electronic devices is one small action with a huge potential impact. Additionally, reducing your energy consumption means power plants don’t have to generate as much energy, reducing the demand for the burning and transporting of fossil fuels.
4. Purchase smart power strips
Smart power strips allow you to control and monitor the power usage of multiple devices in your outlet. Placing Smart power strips in your home can reduce energy usage by effortlessly turning off your devices and preventing standby power consumption. Scheduling your power usage for different devices can lower your energy bill.
Many smart power strips have energy-saving features like power scheduling and occupancy sensing, which automatically turn off devices that are not in use. Some options also come with surge protection, protecting your devices and appliances from power surges that can break your devices. Overall, smart power strips are more energy-efficient and can reduce your environmental impact.
5. Natural light is your friend
If you have windows and light coming into your home, that’s a free and renewable resource. Instead of using artificial light, use natural light in your home. Opting for natural lighting sources during the day when the sun is out helps reduce the energy used by your household.
Using natural light also improves the well-being of your family by helping you get your daily dose of vitamin D from the sun. Additionally, natural light is more visually appealing than artificial light, so you’ll be improving your mood and lowering your electric bill.
6. Solar water heating
Solar water heaters use energy from the sun to heat your water rather than fossil fuel-based methods. These systems do not produce any emissions, preventing any contribution to the greenhouse gas effect. You can install solar water heating systems in almost any building and integrate them with other renewable energy sources.
Additionally, these systems last longer, around 20-25 years, reducing the need to manufacture replacements. Solar water heaters are also low maintenance compared to traditional methods. By reducing the energy used to heat your water, you overall use less energy and improve your effect on the environment.
Better insulation in your home helps reduce the energy needed to heat and cool your home. With improved insulation, you help prevent heat loss and heat gain during different seasons.
Insulation helps reduce the overall electricity demand because you use less energy to get your home to the desired temperature. With improved insulation, you may not have much of a need for air conditioning or heating units, prolonging their lifespan, and reducing their energy emissions and costs. Insulation is a relatively inexpensive way to make your home more energy-efficient.
You can find sustainable insulation materials such as cellulose and mineral wool. Overall, by improving insulation in your home, you create a more eco-friendly environment.
8. Line dry
People, especially Americans, are quite accustomed to machine-drying their clothes. However, line-drying your garments use no energy, just the power of air! Line drying can majorly reduce your electric bill and prolong the life of your clothes by not overheating them in the dryer.
Line drying clothes also helps retain their original shape and color more than a dryer machine can. Overall, line drying clothes reduces the impact on the environment because it reduces the energy usage of your household, reducing your carbon emissions.
Are you ready to make the switch?
There are many ways to reduce your electric usage and make your household more eco-friendly. While some of the ways listed may be more expensive than others, the investment is worth the money. By reducing your energy usage or swapping for a renewable energy source, you help not only your wallet but the planet as well.
