Ther e are many ways you can reduce electricity use in your home and help reduce your energy bills. Also, if you're interested in using a small renewable energy system to make
your own electricity,
reducing your electricity
loads will help make your system more cost
effective.
You can reduce electricity use in your home by
focusing on where and how you use electricity in these areas:
•
Appliances and
electronics
Purchase energyefficient products and operate them
•
Lighting
Purchase energyefficient products, operate them
efficiently, and
incorporate more daylighting into your home using energyefficient windows and
skylights.
•
Electric space
heating and
cooling
Purchase energyefficient electric
systems and operate them efficiently.
Incorporate passive
solar design concepts into your home,
which include using energy-efficient
windows. Properly insulate and air seal your home. Select an
energy-efficient
heating system that doesn't use
electricity.
•
Electric water
heating
Purchase an energyefficient electric
water heater and operate it efficiently. Or select an energyefficient water heater that doesn't use electricity.
To improve the overall energy efficiency of your home, see Home Energy Audits.
Find Renewable
Energy Products and Services
There are many ways to take advantage of renewable energies to power your home, vehicle, and workplace. The resources here will help you find information about products and services that use renewable energy
technologies:
Vehicles
•
Electricity
•
Lighting & Daylighting
•
Solar Water & Pool
• Space Heating & Cooling.
Homes
Here you'll find calculators to help you evaluate your home's energy use and need for energy-efficient improvements.
Saving Energy
•
Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor
This tool provides guidelines and savings information for incorporating energy efficiency into renovation projects for single and multifamily housing. From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Identify the best ways to save energy in your home. From the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Insulation
•
Zip Code Insulation Tool
Provides the most economic insulation level for new or existing houses. From the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Appliance Cost Calculators
•
ENERGY STAR® Cost Calculators
Find product information and savings calculators for a wide array of ENERGY STAR products.
• Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator
Calculates potential savings from replacing an old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR refrigerator. From ENERGY STAR
Water Saving Technologies Cost Calculators
Find the lifetime energy savings of water saving technologies with varying efficiencies. From the U.S. Department of Energy
•
Faucets/Showerheads
•
Toilets/Urinals
•
WaterWiser Drip Calculator
Measure and estimate the water wasted due to leaks. From the American Water Works Association
Software
•
Building Energy Software Tools Directory
Features a list of software tools developed primarily for the buildings industry. From the U.S. Department of Energy
Other Resources
More calculators to help you evaluate renewable energy systems, space heating and cooling systems, and water heaters.
•
Renewable Energy Systems
•
Space Heating and Cooling
•
Water Heating
Making Your Own Clean Electricity
Generating electricity using your own small renewable energy system fits the circumstances and values of some home and small-business owners. Although it takes time and money to research, buy, and maintain a system, many people enjoy the independence they gain and the knowledge that their actions are helping the environment.
A renewable energy
system can be used to supply some or all of your electricity needs. Some people, especially those in remote areas, use the electricity from their
systems in place of
electricity supplied to them by power providers (i.e., electric utilities). These are called standalone (off-grid) systems.
Others connect their
systems to the grid and use them to reduce the amount of conventional power supplied to them through the grid. A gridconnected system allows
you to sell any excess power you produce back to your power provider.
These are some renewable energy technologies
available for use today:
•
Small solar electric
systems
•
Small wind electric
systems
•
Microhydropower
systems
•
Small hybrid electric
systems (solar and
wind).
Before you purchase and install a small renewable energy system, you
should analyze your
electricity loads to see if one of the small
renewable energy systems can meet all or enough of your electricity needs—is it economically feasible? You will also want to
research your local codes
and requirements for installing a system.
If you're designing a new home, you should work with the builder and your contractor to incorporate your small renewable energy system into your whole-house design—an approach for building an energy-efficient home.