Efficient solar energy resources for homeowners have become more important on a worldwide basis in the last few years as our fossil fuels deplete and normal methods of creating energy are destroying our environment. When you are looking for ways to reduce your electricity bill, you have several options. One of the more common and popular ones is exchanging your old appliances for new, energy-efficient ones. New appliances, like refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, and the "can't live without" clothes washers and dryers, all have Energy Star ratings from the U.S. Department of Energy that tell you how much you will save by using that appliance. Less dramatic changes to your household, but significant savings over time, would be to switch out all your lightbulbs with the new energy efficient light bulbs. The Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) can be found in any store that carries light bulbs. They use about 25% less energy than a traditional light bulb. If you have teenagers who leave lights on constantly, even when they are out of the house for hours, your savings would add up. If you are more serious about living a greener lifestyle, but can't afford to replace all your appliances, there are ways to cut your expenses by changing a few household habits. In fact, you can do a lot of it without spending any money at all. Some suggestions follow. The most obvious tip for saving energy is to turn off all lights in rooms that aren't occupied, even if you are returning to the room shortly. You probably can recall the times you left a room intending to return in a minute or two and didn't get back for an hour or longer. Another is to use cold water when washing your laundry. Most laundry detergents are formulated now to work totally in cold water. That includes whites and towels. Not heating water several times a day when you do your laundry will make a large difference in your electricity bill. Water heating is one of the largest expenses in most households. If you use a dishwasher, do not heat-dry the dishes. That heating guzzles up a lot of your dollars on a daily basis. Wrap insulation around your water heaters and the pipes that move the hot water to your house. Running hot water through cold pipes surrounded by cold air lightens your wallet every time someone turns on the hot water faucet. A few other silent money bandits are windows, doors, entry holes under sinks for the water pipes and drains, wall plugs. Seal all air leaks and replace worn or torn weather stripping around doors and windows. When a leak develops around doors or windows, the drain on your inside heat or cooling is constant, 24/7, and it will jack your utility cost up considerably. Double pane windows, tinting with film and using shades to block the hot sun will keep your cooling costs down in the summer.
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