Living Green - Electricity

We use electricity for many things in our lives, and often do so without thinking twice about it. We turn on the switch for lights in our home and turn on electronic devices all the time. Yet we need to do our best to save as much power as we can.

The types of light bulbs that you are using can be a problem for the environment. There are many places that sell those that are energy efficient though. You can get them in any size you need for all the rooms in your home. They are becoming less expensive and what you do spend on them you will get back from having a lower electricity bill each month.

It is very simple to cut back on the amount of lighting you use. During the day open curtains and allow the natural sunlight to shine through. Then you will only need to turn on the lights at night when the sun goes down or on cloudy days.

The use of sky lights has become very popular for businesses and even in newer homes. This allows the sun to be shining through the ceiling and so less electricity has to be used. Some of the larger retail stores such as Wal-Mart now use this as much as possible.

Look up as you walk through one of their stores. You will notice during the day they don’t have very many lights on at all. Sometimes a cloud will roll in front of the sun and you will notice it immediately gets darker in the store than it was before. They are saving a huge amount of money on electricity and they are also helping the environment.

There are many ways in which you can generate electricity too that comes from alternative power. You can place solar panels on your roof which will collect electricity. That is a source your home will use for some of its needs when you turn the power on to use one of your appliances or other electrical devices.

Should you run out of the solar power that has been collected it will immediately kick over to the regular electricity without any interruption to you at all. There is also the use of wind and water power in some areas. Take a look at these alternative methods and see what you can do with them for your own home.

A big waster of electricity that pollutes the environment is leaving light bulbs burning on your porch when you are away from home. You don’t have to go without lighting when you return but you don’t need to do it that way anymore. There are some great alternatives to consider.

You can place decorative solar lights along your driveway. Some of them are very short while others are tall lantern style. It is completely up to you which look you would like to have for the landscaping of your home. Since you don’t need to plug them into an outlet you can place them anywhere you would like to out there.

These lights collect power from the sun in the day time and as soon as it gets dark they will illuminate your hard. When they run out of solar power they will turn off. Should they have enough to last all night then they will turn off when they sun comes up and start collecting energy to use all over again.

Another alternative is to install a motion light. This is a type that doesn’t have to be left on when you leave home. When you pull into your driveway it will turn on based on the movement it has detected. It will remain on for a short period of time which allows you to get safely into your home with the light you need.

The use of windmills in many areas to create energy is also being looked at. Sometimes water known as hydropower is available too. However, the kind of light bulbs you use can help you get the most out of these programs.

If from start to finish everything in your electricity gathering and using process is eco-friendly you won’t feel bad about consuming it to operate lights and the electronics that you use in your home and business.