Go Green by Saving Energy

Many individuals have learned that they can go green by saving energy. It has been established that all sources that provide energy have a heavy contribution to the climatic changes that have been occurring and will continue to occur in our world. When we heat, cool, and power our homes, energy is generated that impacts the climate. While most of us may feel as if the impact that our energy use has on the environment is relatively low, over time, it can progress to a large impact. Most energy that is created is made possible by burning fuels that are identified as “fossil”. These include oil, gas, and even coal. These all have been known to release CO2. This is a type of greenhouse gas that causes global warming. In this article, you will learn how to go green by saving energy.

The first way that you can go green by saving energy is to carefully monitor the manner in which you heat and cool your home. If your heating and cooling unit includes a thermostat, it is important to ensure that you pay special attention to the settings that you use. In the winter time, you should keep the thermostat at about 67° during the day and at night; you can lower it even more due to the fact that you will use blankets in order to cover with while sleeping. In the summer, you should keep your thermostat at approximately 78° during the day time and evening hours. If you are away from home, you should either turn the air conditioning unit off or set the thermostat at 80° to 82° in order to reduce the amount of energy that you use.

The next way that you can go green by saving energy is to avoid using standard light bulbs. You should replace all light bulbs in your house with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs or “CFLs”. Incandescent light bulbs have been found to use an immense amount of electricity. Not only will you pay more in electricity costs by using these types of light bulbs, but you will leave behind a larger carbon footprint. While CFLs are a tad bit more expensive than standard light bulbs upon purchase the cost associated with using them quickly makes up for the initial purchase in savings. Be certain to replace all light bulbs in your home as well as all the light bulbs outside of your home with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Another way that you can go green by saving energy is to ensure all appliances and devices in the home are completely unplugged when they are not being used. Many people do not realize that many of these things continue to pull power if they are plugged in, but not in use. This is often referred to as “Phantom Electricity” and many even refer to it as “Vampire Energy”. This can result in your paying a tremendous amount of money each year in electrical costs. In addition to this, more fossil fuels must be burnt in order to provide the electricity that powers your home. By simply unplugging appliances, you can save hundreds of dollars annually on utility costs. As you can see, there are many ways that you can successfully go green by saving energy. Just making simple, small changes can drastically reduce the carbon footprint that you are directly responsible for.