Greener Living

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   subaru555posted 14 years ago

   If anyone has some great ideas of how to make easy upgrades to  your house that would save energy?

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      dutchman1951posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Insulation, Insulation, first and fore most, that I can attest to by experience. Seal the window lines, make the door stops close tight can be some other ones. Keep your heat pump charged even in winter, look for freon gas leaks. Seal the piping well, Make it nore efficent, clean out from around it to get air circulation around it, do not block it, is another. Chip off the ice and snow also.
      
      The light bulbs can assist but not a great savings. Good idea though.

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   2. 61

      sooner than laterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Here in AZ i just finished a greenhouse that is attached to my home. It is surfaced with a polycarbonate siding. Durring the day, it gets surprisingly warm. I vented the upper part of the room into my house through a series of ceiling vents and a fan. Now my house is heated during the day with the suns heat and an efficient fan.
      
      extra humidity welcome. here anyways.

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   3. 62

      frans240posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I would certainly suggest the option of using solar panels. I know the regular solarpanel systems are very expensive..but there is ways to get around it. Earth4energy is one.... check out my hub page about this or visit my blog....
      
      http://hubpages.com/hub/Inexpensive-Sol … ergy-Bills
      
      http://inexpensive-solarpanels.blogspot.com/

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      Heating Techposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It depends on where you live, the age of your house, the building materials used, etc.

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2. 72

   retellectposted 14 years ago

   1. Put some real good insulation in your ceiling
   2. Replace lightbulbs with florescent bulbs
   3. Line doors and windows with air catchers (or upgrade to double glazing)
   4. Replace appliances with high energy efficiency ratings
   
   

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      BloodRedPenposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Compact florescent light bulbs work fine in warm climates but in places that have winters below 32 degrees F they can over heat and become a fire hazard.

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         LiamBeanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         What is an "air catcher?"
         
         By the way I wrote a hub two years ago called "How to use less electricity." It was in answer to a question posed by a fellow hubber. This covers water-heaters, refrigerators, and so on. I even have tables in there for figuring out what your flat panel TV uses. That was shocking frankly. They are real energy hogs.
         
         http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-lower-yo … s-sky-high

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3. 72

   retellectposted 14 years ago

   Well, if you live in a remote area you can put up an electric producing windmill and connect your lights to that. You could even make one yourself using an old DC motor and shape out regular pvc pipes for propellers.

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4. 57

   steve1717posted 14 years ago

   Well the easiest way to start is with lighting.you can get led bulbs that only use 1.2 watts lower than anything else on the market..They dont run hot ever and work in all temperatures.
   Also invest in a wind turbine ..you can rent them to start with ,get a combination of both solar and wind ..and always get the biggest panels or turbine you can afford ..vawt turbines are the best as they are easier to maintain and easier to get at ..not that they need much maintenance..steve

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5. 0

   zampanoposted 14 years ago

   Do power providers in your country buy you back an eventual power overproduction ?

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      dutchman1951posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Only if you have an nspected and Power company certified system, that uses alternate energy, and returns it to the system. They hate that, but they have to refund then. Problem is most can not afford a system like that.

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   zampanoposted 14 years ago

   Europeans voted laws to encourage people to get equiped mainly in solar panels.
   In one hand Power suppliers are obliged to buy you back your exceeding production, I suppose such installations must be inspected and approved by them.
   On the other hand, when you invest that way, you get some sensible tax deductions.
   In average these kind of installations are paid by themselves in between 7 and 10 years.
   And it's starting to work.

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7. 61

   subaru555posted 14 years ago

   A source of alternative energy production is at the top of my list of things to accomplish by 2010. These are great ideas though and insulation will prove to be a great reduction in heat loss. Thanks for the ideas!

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8. 57

   steve1717posted 14 years ago

   Prices for solar panels and wind turbine prices have dropped dramatically over the past year 35% on average .my own system has paid itself back in 2 years.

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      subaru555posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Any recommedation of a particular company to go with for solar panels ?

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   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   Move to a small apartment

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10. 59

    BillShapiro1posted 14 years ago

    I know this does not sound like much, but it is a start. I did some simple things like changing all of the light bulbs in the house to energy efficient ones, as well as forcing the kids to turn off their computers when they go outside. My bill has come down significantly just with those changes. I know they are small changes but they are a good place to start.

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11. 61

    go2greenposted 14 years ago

    The simple way to start is by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, my electric bill dropped 50% when I switched.

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    Has_aWayWithWordsposted 14 years ago

    I have created a few hubs based on green living and saving energy. Please check them out and if you have any qustions about other ways to be more energy efficient drop me a line.

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13. 61

    jossecarrposted 13 years ago

    I try to go green by not using fax machine and use internet fax instead. Internet fax is a paperless technology, in this manner I am able to help save trees.

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14. 58

    Greener Tomorrowposted 13 years ago

    There are many answers to your question.  I work with a lot of folks with the same concerns, especially since our rates have increased significantly. 
    
    I believe in a logical approach to conservation and it begins with the simple things like just turning lights and other appliances off when they are not needed. This includes, ceiling fans, coffee makers, microwaves, etc.  Turn up (or down depending on where you live) the thermostats, and like one of the responders stated, start getting rid of any incandescent lights, replacing them with Compact Fluorescent (CFL) lamps. Use dimmers where they make sense like in family and living rooms.
    
    I am creating a hub with what I hope is a good set of information on this very subject.  Take a look and I'll try to upadate it regularly.

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