The environment is in dire need of concern and action due to various factors and it is our job to make it happen. With energy consumption and costs at an all time high, we simply cannot afford, morally or financially, to sit back and hope the universe can correct the problems on it's own. The good thing is that we can make our homes green quite easily and even those with limited budgets can make a huge impact on the earth and their pocketbook. This article will show you how you can go green and join a movement that actually leads to positive results.
The first thing you have to do is take a walk around your house and look for things that can be changed or upgraded. This means you should look to see if your appliances are up to energy star standards. Don't worry as used models will work if you need to change them for nothing more than a reduction in your utility bill. They pay for themselves quickly. Look for drafty windows and doors that you can add some weatherstripping to. This helps maintain a constant temperature in the home and reduces the use of the heating and cooling units. Next is the easiest and most cost effective change you can make. See if you can change your light bulbs to CFC or LED and get away from incandescent. These save a lot of energy and lower the monthly bill far more than their cost in the first month.
Always do your research first. When changing appliances, see what your actual usage is and by what is necessary. You may already be compliant and these will not be necessary to upgrade. Shop around for the best costs and more importantly if you are going green in a big way with an alternative source of power, check pricing, total costs and whether your home can accommodate a system. If you are in the middle of the woods, you probably do not have enough natural resources available to justify the cost or even make the system work.
Start making changes based on what you can afford to do. The smaller stuff will have a larger impact on your finances when it comes to saving money whereas a solar system will take a few years to recoup the costs. Try the lighting, and drafts first and move on to the appliances from there. You certainly do not want to go broke right out of the gate and those will show a return monthly providing savings for the larger stuff.
Compare your costs to what they were before. People who use a lot of lighting and actually switch to energy efficient bulbs see a savings up to 40 dollars a month on their power bill. Your bills will also state what you used that particular month so it won't be hard to compare before and after.
As you can see, its not hard to go green in your home. The savings are a great motivation but the truth is that these changes do make a huge impact when it comes to protecting the environment and you can rest at ease knowing you are playing a huge part.