Have you ever thought of opting for eco-friendly ways to keep your house warm?

There are some eco-friendly ideas, which are so simple that they will make you wonder, why on earth you have not been using them already.  You get the same warm, toasty feeling and yet, it doesn’t cost you too much. Here are five very simple and effective eco-friendly tips that you could use this winter.

1. Seal those leaky windows- Make use of heavy curtains to keep the heat inside the house. You can also get weather stripping for the windows, so that the heat that is trapped inside the house does not escape. You might be surprised to find how cozy and warm your room can get without any kind of heating.

2. The Energy Star- If you have never paid attention to the energy star ratings, now is a good time to start. Energy star ratings are meant to help the customers understand, how energy efficient the appliances really are. Energy star ratings can be found on various appliances like boilers, heaters, furnaces and heat pumps (used for central heating). So the next time you plan to purchase an appliance, check the energy star rating.

3. Use a smaller heating system- Depending on the size of your home, go for a heating solution that is not too large. Even a single space heater can do wonders. So bear this in mind, while shopping for your heater.

4. Set the thermostat lower- When you are out in the cold and then come inside, you might want to turn up the thermostat of the heater. Resist the temptation, and remember that every degree on your thermostat, accounts for about 10 percent of your energy requirements for heating. Use a jumper or a sweater instead, and switch down your thermostat by a few degrees.

5. Soil, the natural insulator- You stand and walk on a natural insulator all the time, and might not even be aware of it. Soil is a great natural insulator and so, make use of this property to keep your homes warm during winter. Go in for geothermal heat pumps. In a geothermal heating system, liquid is circulated through pipes that run beneath the home through the soil. With time the liquid gets warmer, which is then pumped to a heat condenser. The heat condenser uses the liquid’s heat in running the central heating system of your home.

These are just five simple tips that can help you have an eco-friendly winter. Get creative and you will come up with many more eco-friendly options.

Adopting and sticking to a green lifestyle is very simple. Here are seven steps that can help you save our planet. Start today, and help make our planet a better place:

1. The easiest way to reduce your overall electricity bill, is to turn up your AC thermostat by a few degrees during summer. During winter, you can turn down the heater thermostat by a few degrees. By changing the thermostat setting, you can save a lot of electricity. This will have a positive impact on your bills.

2. If you need to travel short distances, walk or use a bicycle. Make use of a car only for longer distances. This way, your car’s gas consumption can be reduced. You save money on gas, and you also do your bit in reducing air pollution.

3. Dry your clothes out in the sun, as far as possible. Not only do your garments feel and smell better, but you also save a lot of electricity. Why use a dryer when you don’t need to? This is yet another easy way to save electricity and money.

4. While driving, try to maintain a speed of about fifty-five miles per hour. This is the most efficient speed for your vehicle’s engine. It will burn the minimum quantity of gas and attain the best mileage, at this speed setting. Also, try and minimize the acceleration. Drive smoothly and don’t be too abrupt while applying the brakes.

5. Don’t waste water. You should check all the taps to ensure that they have not sprung a leak over time. Try to reduce the amount of time you spend in the shower. It’s a good idea to replace your toilet cisterns with new ones, which use less than two gallons of water per flush. Regular cisterns make use of about 3.5 gallons of water. Efficient cisterns mean less water usage, which in turn translates to lower bills.

6. Make use of Compact fluorescent lights (CFL), to address your lighting needs. CFLs use only 10% of the electricity that a normal bulb uses and they last almost 10 times longer. If you want a more energy efficient option, you can use LED bulbs.

7. You don’t need to use hot water to wash your clothes. Most of the detergents that are available today do an equally good job, when they are used in cold water. So set your washer to wash clothes in cold water.

Recycling waste and being efficient only requires some discipline. Making use of renewable energy resources might require some initial investment. But if you consider the larger picture, it is totally worth it. It helps you save money, and is a wonderful eco-friendly solution for your energy needs. To get the ball rolling, here are a few useful tips. Start implementing them, and see how you can benefit financially from a green life.

1. Save money by using a little less of gas in your car, electricity and even food. See to it that if you need to shop, you write down a list. This way, you can prevent impulsive shopping. Another thing you could do when it comes to shopping is, wait 24 hours before you decide on buying a product. You might even forget what you wanted to buy, if the product is not very important.

2. When it comes to lighting, why not use compact florescent lights (CFL)? This is the most energy-efficient lighting solution that you can come up with. CFLs use only 25% of the electricity that a normal light bulb consumes. They also last 10 times longer and so, don’t need to be replaced as often. There is only an initial investment in buying the CFLs. But they will help save a lot of money in the long run.

3.  If the sun is shining brightly, hang your wet clothes out to dry on a clothing line. Not only will your clothes smell better, but you will also save money.

4. Most of the detergents do well in cold water and so, wash your clothes in cold water. You will save a lot of electricity and money, if you don’t heat the water before washing clothes. Thus, use the appropriate setting on your Washer/Washing machine.

5. Turn your AC thermostat up a few degrees in summer, and turn down your heater thermostat a few degrees during winter. This will impact your overall electricity consumption quite a bit. You will be pleasantly surprised, when you receive your electricity bill.

Overlooked Benefits of Energy Efficient Lighting

By installing energy efficient lights, you can do a lot of good for the environment and save money in the process. Some firms had started giving out ‘water and energy saver packs’, to try out at home. Since there are several energy efficient lighting options that you can choose from, you need to understand how they differ. Only then can you decide on the best lighting option for you.

1. Use of LEDs- Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in electronic devices like clocks, laptops, Stereo systems etc. LEDs generate a broad spectrum of bright colored light and so, they can find several other uses. They are a great choice to replace halogen globes, since they consume 70 percent less energy as compared to regular halogen globes. Small groups of LEDs can be placed at various locations in your home, to produce sufficient light. They can be arranged in various configurations, which is great. LEDs are mercury free and so, they are the perfect eco-friendly lighting solution.

2. Use CFLs with shade- According to a British study, CFLs produce small quantities of ultra-violet radiation, when they are unshaded. This can be harmful when they are close to us and so, it’s best to use ‘encapsuled’ CFL globes. You can also make use of shades while using a CFL. This will reduce the harmful effects of UV radiation.

3. Use of Compact Fluorescent Lights- Compact Fluorescent lights (CFLs) are highly energy efficient. They use about 20% of the energy required to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent lamp, and they last about 10 times longer. Thus, CFLs can reduce the cost of lighting your home drastically. Thanks to CFLs, your electricity bills will reduce for sure.

4. Recycling CFLs- Most CFLs contain about 4mg of mercury in them. Some CFL manufacturers have reduced the amount of mercury to about 1-2.5mg. Since CFLs contain mercury, they need to be handled with extreme care. Also, make use of CFL recycling programs, so that the mercury does not end up in landfills.

Lighting takes up about 20 percent of any home’s overall energy consumption. Choose to use greener lighting options and protect the environment.