With monthly energy bills going up each year it makes sense to look into making your home a green energy house. Why ? Well green energy homes are not only safer for the environment but there is a good chance that they will end up saving you money in the process.  Here are a few tips to make a green energy house and save money on your energy bills too.

First Things First

Green energy houses do not need to have fancy energy saving gadgets. There are a lot of new green energy technologies that you can use together with good old common sense to save energy. One of the simplest and easiest ways to turn your home into a green energy house is to simply make your home more energy efficient. How? First, you need to check your home insulation. Poor insulation can affect the amount of energy that we use at home.

During the winter, we spend more money on heating because our home is leaking heat in so many places. During the summer when the heat is at its peak, we spend so much energy trying to cool our place down. Again, the primary culprit for this excessive use of energy is those leaks. To make your home energy efficient and green, you need to invest in good insulation. There are many incentives to replace old insulation or even install it into your home for the first time. Check out in your region for any incentives and take advantage of them.

Second, replace those incandescent lamps with energy saving fluorescent lamps. Those fluorescent lamps will help you save a lot of money. Moreover, fluorescent lamps last longer than incandescent lamps so you need not worry about throwing these things into the landfill after a few weeks or so. Again, check out for state or national government incentives to get energy saving light bulbs to replace the old incandescents.

Third, turn off the lights, open the drapes and let sunlight into your home during the day. Sunlight can turn your home into a green energy house. You will be able to save a lot of money if you use natural sunlight at home during the day. Moreover, sunlight is a proven natural disinfectant so if you want to keep your home relatively free from germs, you should make use of the disinfectant power of the sun. Try to be more conscious of the electricity that you use. Switch things off at the wall. Switch things off that you are not using period. Get more energy efficient appliances and update old appliances like fridges that are not energy efficient.

Fourth, when it is not so hot outside, shut off the air conditioner and open the windows. Let the breeze into your home. Not only will you be able to save money if you open the windows, you can also help keep your family a lot healthier. Studies show that people who breathe fresh air are naturally healthier than those who rely on the air conditioner most of the time.

Hands down, the easiest and quickest way to go green and save money at the same time is to test your home for energy efficiency.

An energy efficient home will use less power, saving you money while at the same time helping the environment. There are a few simple things that you can do right after reading this article that can make your home energy efficient.

You can begin by checking your home for air leaks. The drafts that come in from these leaks can suck out your warm air in the winter and your cool air in the summer.  By reducing the drafts in your home you can actually save up to 30% on your energy bill every year which can accumulate to some serious savings over time.  Your home will also be a cleaner, drier environment lessening the likelihood of illnesses due to damp, moldy conditions.  Another advantage of eliminating drafts is that your home will be more comfortable temperature wise reducing the need for artificial heating or cooling to reach optimum conditions.

To check for drafts, check for the air flow in several areas of your home, including the following:

Windows/window frames
Door frames
Baseboards
Fireplaces
Attic hatches/doors
Window air conditioning units
Electrical outlets
Light switch plates
Mail slots

If you can rattle your windows or if you see a halo of light around your windows and doors then the window or door doesn’t seal as well as it should.  This means that you are losing hot or cool air which in turn means that your heater or air conditioner has to work even harder to keep your home at a comfortable temperature costing you more money.  You can easily remedy this by either replacing the window or door or you can install better weather stripping.

Another way of testing your home’s energy efficiency is to measure how much insulation you have in your attic.  If it’s less than the recommended amount, then your home is losing heat out of the roof.  By installing more insulation your home will hold in heat more effectively and is a great solution for making your home more efficient, energy wise without spending more on your power usage.

You may wish to check your hot water heater as well, adding an insulation blanket acts as a thermos and traps the heat in the cylinder where it belongs rather than escaping to its surroundings.

You should also check the age of your appliances.  Many older appliances are not as energy-efficient as the newer ones.   You can recognize the newer, more energy efficient appliances as they feature the EnergyStar logo.  If your budget allows for it, you may want to replace your appliances that are 15 years and older, doing so can add up to major savings over the years with reduced power bills.

Don’t forget the basics of checking your light bulbs to see if you’re using the appropriate wattage in each appliance.  If you’re using a 100-watt bulb in a lamp that only needs a 65 or 70-watt one, you may be using more energy than you need to.  Swapping out traditional bulbs for compact florescent bulbs can also reduce your power usage.

Being energy efficient can add up to some serious savings over time and don’t require a lot of effort.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that going green is difficult or a huge sacrifice, performing checks as simple as these is all it takes.