Eco-friendly home tech solutions are still carrying a stigma from when they first emerged. They generally required a big capital outlay and many years to earn the cost back. However, eco-friendly house technology has been developing at a rapid rate, and there are now many solutions that provide decent savings for a much smaller initial investment. With energy prices slowly creeping up, and eco-friendly tech prices dropping, we’re now at the point where the savings can far outweigh the cost.
Below are some modern solutions worth considering for your home.
Solar Panels
What most people think about solar panels is now completely outdated. While big solar panels are still available, you can now replace some of your existing roof tiles with ones that produce electricity. They’ll feed the power directly into your home, and you’ll only use power from the main grid when solar power is depleted. Modern solar panels are much more efficient, and many states offer subsidies or tax breaks for those spending money in an environmentally friendly way.
Briquetting Machines
Briquettes are a great way to turn waste into eco-friendly high calorific fuel. They are an efficient way to produce energy. A large percentage of the waste we produce will end up at the dump, and briquetting offers homes a way to be proactive about recycling their waste into something they can use to generate electricity and save money. You can read more about briquetting here if you want to find out more. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a great way to save money and cut down on the number of resources you use, too.
Modern Appliances
Using older inefficient appliances can greatly increase the energy and water usage of your home. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the U.S. Department of Energy have set up the Energy Star program to help consumers. Selecting an Energy Star appliance every time you replace one of your old appliances is good for the environment and your wallet. All products with the Energy Star rating must meet strict standards for efficiency and energy consumption.
Backyard Wind Turbine
These miniature versions of full-size wind turbines are becoming an increasingly popular way to reduce energy bills. The tech is dependent on the average wind speeds in your area, as most turbines need an average speed of 5mph or more to generate a meaningful amount of electricity. Residential wind power is unlikely to provide all the electricity you need to run your home, but it can supplement the amount you need to draw from the mains, reducing your energy bills.
Solar Hot Water Heater
Heating a huge tank of water can be costly. Water tanks are insulated to try to maintain the temperature for as long as possible, but they’re still not the most efficient system. A solar hot water heater will use the suns energy to heat the water instead. Many of them also use a backup system to ensure that if the solar energy is depleted you still have hot water.
All of the above systems can be integrated into a home still connected to the mains grid, so homeowners never need to worry about not producing enough power. They can just sit back and look forward to far lower energy bills.
Recent Comments