Investing in energy efficiency doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult — in fact, making your home or office buildings more green can actually save you money in the long term. There are many ways that a homeowner can make their home more energy efficient, which range from easy, do-it-yourself weekend projects at home to a long-term investment that requires the help and oversight of professionals.

But all of these projects can save you lots of money as the price of energy continues to rise. The average savings to a homeowner who commits to energy efficiency through home improvement projects is more than $300 a year, according to The Electricity Journal (Volume 22, Issue 8). These are just three tips to going green and becoming energy efficient.

1. Install Insulation

The most significant improvement you can make to save energy is proper insulation. Insulation helps to keep cold air inside a home or office during the summer, and warm air inside during the winter months, which can help electricity bills stay low.

Basements, garages and attics, are the most common overlooked areas that can cause your electricity to skyrocket. So be sure to insulate the areas around windows, doors and anywhere else you might be losing cold or warm air when you need it.

Insulation is typically a low-cost and easy do-it-yourself home improvement project that makes a big difference when it comes to saving energy and going green.

2. Consider Replacing Or Updating The Following.

Updating existing outdated appliances can make a major difference when it comes to energy efficiency. Common household appliances such as fridges, washing machines, dryers and hot water heaters can provide a homeowner with the largest margin of energy bill savings when replaced by Energy Star certified models.

You can shave even more dollars from your electricity bill each month by installing and using an outdoors clothesline to dry clothing, especially in dry, sunny parts of the country.

Installing a water filter on the kitchen sink instead of buying bottled water, installing low flow shower heads in the bathrooms and converting a wood-burning fireplace to one that uses natural gas will also cause electricity bills to go down and the value of the home to go up.

3. Install And Build Your Own Solar Panels

A common misconception about solar panels is that the technology isn’t affordable enough for the average homeowner or do-it-yourself. Many believe the panels are very expensive and you need a professional to install them on your home or office building, adding an additional cost.

However, solar panels have become much more accessible in the last several years, and homeowners can actually build their own solar panels quickly, easily and affordably.

Creating your own solar panels negates the expensive start-up and installation costs that top retailer’s solar panels create, and instead is a creative way to instantly add value to your home or office building.

For more information on going green, and energy efficient, be sure to get the free resource from the link below. They have made a free report available to you that will make it easy to get started and show you how to “Save Money Using Solar Energy.”

Click here http://www.GoingGreenSavesYouMoney.com for instant access to a valuable FREE report, tips, tricks and hot insider information on building solar panels and energy-efficiency. This valuable report has helped many get started quickly and easily.

Before you perform maintenance on your solar panels, you should make sure that your system is disconnected. The panel should be disconnected from the components. Check the levels of the batteries and output to make sure that everything is working. Now make sure that the solar panel equipment is working at capacity:

1. Check for moisture – There should be no water buildup inside the solar pv panel system. It should be coming out of the holes in the enclosure. Look for condensation on the inside of the enclosure.
   
2. Make sure the connections are tightened – Watch for potential short circuits. The silicon caulking should hold and there should be no loose parts. If there are any parts that are not airtight go over the edges with silicone caulk.
   
3. Clean – Clean the solar panel with a nonabrasive cleanser and paper towels. You want to make sure that the solar cells receive the maximum exposure of sun. This means that the transparent Plexiglas should be as clean as possible. There should be no obstructions that shade the solar panel either. IF there are, cut down the trees or reposition the object that is causing the obstruction.
   
4. Charge Controller – This should be clean and have space around it to release heat. Creating good airflow keeps the system working properly for a long time.

Maintaining your panels is incredibly easy. The main thing is to check and see if all the components are unobstructed and undamaged. If you have moving parts such as a solar tracker, you will need to regularly lubricate the gears that move.

Get Your FREE Ebook On Solar Panel How To

Changing your furnace from oil burning to gas burning is a smart investment in your home–and in the planet. A more affordable fuel source for residential heating, natural gas is also the cleanest of the fossil fuels. That means you can cut your energy bills and polluting emissions all at once. If you’re ready to upgrade your home heating system, contact your local furnace company. These professionals can help with all of your oil to gas conversion needs.

With today’s high fuel costs, a gas furnace can help you save some serious cash. Did you realize it costs around one dollar less to produce 100,000 Btus with a gas furnace than with an oil furnace? It may not sound like much at first, but over the course of the entire fall and winter, that will really add up. In fact, oil to gas conversion can help you save hundreds of dollars in just one year.

But that’s not all you’ll be saving! Gas furnaces can also help you go green. As the cleanest-burning of all the fossil fuels, natural gas creates very little pollution. When you switch from burning oil to burning gas for your residential heating needs, you’ll be greatly reducing the amount of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen
oxides your home emits. That means cleaner air and even a cleaner furnace (and no build-up means no need for annual furnace cleanings). For a cleaner, greener home, gas furnaces are the way to go.

Oil to gas conversion is a relatively simple, easy process. Your furnace repair contractor should be able to help with oil furnace to gas furnace conversion from running the necessary plumbing to ensuring your chimney is safe for use with gas. You can either replace the oil burner in your existing furnace with a gas burner, or get an entirely new, energy-efficient gas furnace. But no matter which oil to gas conversion option you choose, you’re sure to save money and help the planet at the same time. Contact your HVAC contractor today to get started!

Michele Situazione is a home improvement enthusiast and an Internet marketer for Prospect Genius, bringing local businesses affordable online marketing.

How can you define wind power? Wind power is the process of transforming eolian force into electricity. This is done by using wind turbines or by using windmills. Working with some physics rules, these “wind gathers” can transform wind into electrical power. This power is then moved into your breaker box. What is important about this system is that your normal utility is only a simple reserve. If you utilize more of the wind energy, it will send the electricity back inside the box and force your meter too turn into reverse. Wind force has some astonishing properties; for example it can renew itself becoming an important resource.

Why would you want to use eolian energy? The main reason is because it is less expensive. Taping wind force as your main source of power and just using your purchased electricity as a reserve, will reduce your monthly energy bills by a huge amount, and sometimes, especially if you use wind power with solar power, you can stop using the power company forever.

The wind turbines that make energy can be grouped in 2 categories. The Horizontal-axis turbine is the 1st category. This machine can be as tall as a twenty-story building and span about two hundred feet in length. Its large palettes resemble airplane propellers. Plane engine is the most often used turbine. The second type of turbines is not that common.

There are eolian energy generators all over the place. Here eolian generators are used over a big area. The energy created here goes predominantly to power companies. They do not work for the utility companies; they produce the energy then sell it to the utility companies.

There are also eolian systems available for home use. Of course they are on a considerably smaller scale.

Essential things to know this before you start making your own wind power.

• Start with the quantity of wind you have in your region.

• You need to live in an area that has an medium annual wind velocity of 9 miles an hour, that is when a grid connection is not possible.

• If a grid connection is possible, the wind velocity is at least 10 miles per hour.

To get more info about Wind Power Systems check this out DIY Wind and Solar Energy Guide

It is simple to assemble your own wind turbine. However, in certain districts, making a wind turbine is not permitted and you need to be sure that your area is not one of these zones. In addition make sure that you understand what you are doing so that it is up to code and works as it should.

Nature is not destroyed by wind generated electricity. Eolian energy is a “green” energy (it does not destroy the ozone in any way). It doesn’t release any gases or any other contaminants. Using eolian power is a first step in helping our environment. Using eolian force is the key in reducing the global climate change effect.

If you are tired of shelling out for those high power bill; fed up trying everything that you can do to lower the bill and they simply continue to be more expensive and you want to do everything that is possible to help save our environment then using eolian energy is the way to go.

If you want an excellent guide on how to build your own Wind Energy Systems then check out DIY Wind and Solar Energy Guide. With reviews written by leading solar energy reviewer James Elliott.

http://www.diysolarenergyguide.com/best-diy-solar-energy-guides.php

Solar panels are a great way to produce free electricity or to heat your water for free. The best use for solar power is to use it to produce electricity. The reason why solar power is not the main power source nowadays is because it is still a young technology and that the panels are very expensive. Even if there are a lot of people that have panels installed, there are even more people that would want to but could not afford to buy solar energy panels.

The amazing thing is that so many people pay big bucks for commercial solar panels when they can make their own for a fraction of the price. Solar energy panels normally work by converting sunlight to power and storing it into a battery system. Then, whenever the energy is required it is used from the batteries.

Making your own solar energy panels does not require any particular skills. Knowing how to use a hammer and a nail makes you more than qualified for building solar energy panels. The materials required to build these panels are readily available at your local hardware store. These materials include photovoltaic cells, tabbing, copper, solder, soldering iron and some plywood.

You probably do not know how to build solar panels at the moment. You can find this information online and from the numerous guides that can be found both online and in brick and mortar stores. It is important that you can a good guide in order to avoid mistakes that could cost you money and time.

And, a step-by-step video guide that will show you how to Make a Solar Panel at home can be found on my site. Click here to find out how YOU can save thousands by making your own solar panels and save even more off your power bills.

If you’re planning on building a windmill or wind turbine to help reduce or even eliminate your electric bills, you’re not alone. Due to the run up in energy prices, millions of others are becoming acutely aware of alternative energy and the benefits that come from using it. By embracing wind power, you’ll find that there are numerous benefits that come along with it. Two of the most obvious reasons to start using wind power are the reduction in your energy costs, and the beneficial effect that it has on the environment. With that said, there are some things you should consider before you start.

Local Zoning Laws

Before you get too involved in building a windmill for your home, you need to check with your local authorities about any zoning laws or regulations that govern the use of wind turbines and windmills in your municipality. Most towns and cities have adopted laws that govern the placement and height of any wind power generating device constructed within the city limits.

Chances are good that there are also noise restrictions that set the maximum noise level that can be produced. It’s worth noting that this is one of the most important parts of research that you’ll need to do, and as such, should be the first thing you look into.

Is Your Home a Good Candidate for Wind Power?

If you’ve lived at your current location for awhile, you’ve probably got a gut feeling for the amount of wind that’s available. At my house for instance, there is rarely a day that there isn’t any wind, and on the days with wind, it’s strong. If your site passes the gut feeling litmus test, you can do some further research here: http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/wind_maps.asp

to get an even better idea of the amount of energy you have available.

You’ll Need a Plan

Probably the most important part of building your own wind generator is to have a great plan. One that’s been tested, and fine tuned to the point that even those with little to no building experience can easily complete it. It should also use materials that are easy to source, and inexpensive to purchase. And in the end, it should produce a reliable and useful device that’s capable of providing years of service with limited maintenance. While this may seem like a tall order to fill, there are some excellent plans that have recently become available that will easily satisfy those requirements.

Just remember, stay focused, do your research, have a great plan, and don’t give up. If it begins to seem overwhelming, break up your work into smaller portions and set goals based on them. If you do that, you’ll have it completed and generating power in no time!

In this article I will cover energy efficient water heaters.

Energy efficiency is a hot topic right now and new technologies are being introduced everyday. We recommend that you do not wait until you need a new water heater to do your research. You may find yourself buying what ever is available, instead of what is best! This is not a good plan since your hot water heater is the biggest waste of your energy costs. So do your research now, and double check it just when you are ready to purchase.

Consumers have a tendency to purchase their heater based on size. Actually the First Hour Rating (FHR) is more important to consider. The FHR represents the amount of hot water that the unit will deliver during a busy hour. Estimate your family’s usage during the peak hour usage and find a unit with a FHR that will cover it.

The most energy efficient water heaters are generally gas fired. Electric resistance is an expensive way to generate heat and not as environmentally friendly. Before you make the final decision, check with your utility company to see if they have any incentives that may make electricity more attractive.

One of the new favorites is the energy efficient tankless water heater. They only create hot water as it is needed and there is a never ending supply. They have a longer life expectancy and do not reheat the same water all day long! If you leave for a week, no hot water is made.

Besides the standard gas and electric energy efficient water heaters there is the indirect water heater. This type is only for consumers who have a boiler. It uses your boiler as its heat source. This type of system eliminates a lot of the heat loss through the flue, as associated with the gas fired heaters.

The next type is a heat pump water heater or desuperheater. With this type the electric is used to move the heat from one place to another instead of actually creating it. The heat source comes from the heat in the outside air or the area where the unit is located. This type is not very common and harder to find.

Solar water heaters use the sun to heat your water. They are very expensive and hard to calculate the cost because there are so many factors that affect it. These would include the amount of sun, where you live, which way your roof is facing and the amount of hot water that you use. If everything is right though they offer a virtually cost free hot water from a renewable energy. Seems like solar power was hot, then cold and now it seems to be making a comeback. There seem to be many opinions out there for and against solar power. The drawback is that you must have some type of backup system for when there is no sun.

So the bottom line is that this is a very big decision. Make sure that you use every available resource to do your research before you spend your hard earned money. If you make a mistake, you will be paying for it for a long time!

The most powerful source of energy available to us is not from mankind’s invention or discovery but form the nature. This source of energy is the sun which has been around form the very first day the earth was created has been providing us with an energy that’s far more powerful than anything man has been able to invent. These days the solar energy is becoming the biggest alternative for current source of energy due to the reason that it’s cheap, effective, environmental friendly and long lasting. Solar power means the conversion of sunlight into usable electricity.

The sun throws huge amount of energy every day on the surface of earth, this sunlight consists of positively charged photons particles. Solar cells or photovoltaic are used to convert this energy into usable electricity. These cells are made up of semiconductors. The most common semiconductor is made up silicon mixed up with different materials.

These semiconductors made up of different materials provide different out put of energy. The amount of energy generated depends upon the number of semiconductors. These combinations of cells are known as modules and a number of modules form an array. When sunlight strikes the surface of these cells a certain amount of this energy is absorbed into the semiconductor.

This energy allows the electron of the semiconductor to go free. These cells have an electric field that forces the free electron to move in a certain direction. This flow of electron is the current. In order to draw this current, the cells are externally connected with metal. This current is in DC form but the appliances that we use needs AC power so a device called the inverter is attached to the cells to convert the energy from DC power to AC power. The surface of the cells is coated with different antireflective material so that the surface can absorb more photons.

Following are the different types of silicon material that are currently used.

1. Single crystalline.
2. Poly crystalline.
3. Amorphous silicon.
4. Multi junction.

The single crystalline cell is the most expensive available in the market but is also the most effective in absorbing the photons and generating power. The poly crystalline is less expensive due to the material type and that is the reason it’s not very effective and less preferred. For out door purposes amorphous are very durable but does not provide huge amount of power. In order to increase power output you need to increase the number of panels.The multi junction devices have very high conversion efficiency due to the reason that they capture a large portion of the solar spectrum. The material on the surface of a multi junction is also very effective and efficient in absorbing the photons form the sunlight and converting them into usable power, this is solar power. These semi conductors have a very long life, an average of 20 years so that you can have no problem with major breakdowns or power outage for a long time.

With the price of oil hitting new all-time highs on a nearly daily basis, naturally the news has focused on our need to get off our oil dependence and seek alternative fuels. Every means of alternative, environmentally friendlier energy generation is back on the table: from wind and solar, to geothermal and hydroelectric. Cars are coming off production lines that go further on each gallon of gasoline than ever before and the electric and fuel-cell cars are on the horizon. Meanwhile the debate rages on about whether the United States should join the rest of the world as all fossil fuels are sought out in progressively more remote locations around the globe in an attempt to fill the demand gap until the alternative energy sources can fully come online and mass distributed.

It would seem that the focus of energy efficiency in the national news has been on the sources of energy and not the sinks–the end users. Electric companies, though, are not forgetting about their customer base. Utilities across the country are asking for customers to voluntarily yield certain controls to the power companies via “smart meters” and other control devices. With the promise of a lower electric bill, customers give the power company the ability to turn off certain appliances, control their thermostat, and shut down their computer. Additionally, these “smart meters” are also able to measure the little-known aspect of energy supply called the “power factor,” and allows the utility to charge more when it is not within acceptable parameters.

Aside from reducing their standard of living and being miserly with their light and appliance usage, alternatives for the common citizen to reduce energy consumption are in home improvements:

• Placing solar panels on your roof may look unsightly to some; however, you may be selling some electricity back to the power company while you are at work. Tax advantages and credits may be available as an incentive though sometimes the math can be misleading. Often, calculations include the tax deductions you can take by paying for the solar panels using a home equity loan, causing you to pay more in interest and getting some back as a tax deduction. Funny may leads to a longer period of time to wait before the initial investment is returned as savings.
• For those with available land, a windmill is an option provided the land lies beneath some strong trade winds. The benefits and drawbacks of wind energy are similar to those of solar energy: the financials only work in certain circumstances and the effectiveness is determined by the weather.
• Updating the lighting around the home to compact fluorescent lights will save a considerable amount of energy and money. The cost to make the switch is relatively low, compared to other energy saving opportunities. The caution that is typically raised regarding these lights is that they contain mercury, a dangerous material should the light ever break, and there are questions related to the use of florescent lights and possible links to health issues such as autism. With careful handling and grown children, florescent lights remain an excellent means to energy reduction.
• Improving the insulation in the attic can result in savings in your home heating and cooling efforts. The insulation in older houses especially should be inspected for effectiveness. Often, an older home will benefit greatly from the advances in insulation technology.
• Unlike the “smart meters” that the electric companies are installing, a home energy controller has the potential to significantly reduce the draw of power to a home by optimizing the power factor. In so doing, reductions of 8-15% are common with far better, more atypical, results reported. With the costs of such devices rarely exceeding a few hundred dollars, it requires no “government math” to show affordability and the savings from using such a device generally pays for itself in a few years, less if the “smart meter” is already assessing a surcharge due to a low power factor.

Regardless of the means with which the common citizen will reduce their energy usage or the reasons for which they do so, the cost of energy is unlikely to lessen in the near future. Until the “magic bullet” is found–meaning, until a clean, limitless, portable source of energy is discovered, those who are able will make efforts to curb their energy consumption on a voluntary basis whenever possible. The question is: will you act now or when action becomes compulsory?

For more information on energy controllers and how they can save you 8-15% on your home electric bill and 15-25% on your business electric bill, visit http://www.covingtonenergy.com

Figuring out where to find cheap solar panels was very important to us since we were depending on them to provide most of our power needs. Now, when I talk about cheap solar panels I don’t mean poor quality- only cheap in the form of inexpensive. Nobody wants poor quality materials where the power needs of your home are concerned.

What were we looking for?

- Price per watt of solar panels of around $3

- Inexpensive, cheap solar panels

- High quality ones to buy

We set out to solve the problem in the only way we knew how to, we started gathering information.

First off we started looking at manufacturer pricing so we could determine what a good price was. We were looking for about 3000 watts of production power so that was about 30 panels of 100 watts (quite a few).

What we discovered first was that the larger the production output of each individual one usually means a better price. We could buy solar panels with 180 watts of output for a better price than 100 watt panels when we compared the price per watt. So the first lesson learned in our search was to buy the largest ones possible.

We also discovered some real glaring differences in price between many of the manufacturers. Price per watt was our deciding criteria so we kept looking and finally settled on three possible choices. Make sure you shop around when looking for cheap solar panels.

Another idea you might want to investigate is becoming a dealer of solar panels. You usually won’t find a better price on solar panels than if you buy them wholesale. Most companies off incentives of 10 to 30% discounts on pricing for their dealers. Of course they won’t let you just buy a couple solar panels at a discount though.

Most have a set minimum limit usually in the $5000 range that you have to spend to become a dealer and qualify for the discount. Now that’s not a big problem since you will probably be spending that anyways on your own renewable energy system.

The best way to sell something is to own it too. Who knows, you just might sell some to interested visitors… and you will have a few of those.

Perhaps you want the ultimate in cheap solar panels, how about free? That’s right free.

With a bit of time and some persistence you can find many different forms of solar panels from cheap to free. Just keep looking, cheap solar panels are all around, you just need to know where to look.

Do you want more information on cheap solar panels?

Cheap Solar Panels can be found in many different places.

Our family began living off the grid in 2001 and we have never looked back. Finding cheap or even free solar panels is very important because the more solar panels you have the more power output your home has. Find cheap or even free solar panels helps us immensely increase our power output.