First the advantages:

Solar energy is abundant and is free. We can count the sun to rise tomorrow and the day after that. Oil and natural gases on the other hand are non renewable, once the source taps out, it is gone forever. Sure there are other areas that could still be tapped but sooner that could run out of oil as well.

Solar energy does not pollute the air. If ever, the heat coming from the sun cleans the environment and maintains the earth’s eco balance. Not so with oil. Oil, its derivatives and its byproducts are great pollutants. In fact, 22,000 pounds of carbon monoxide will need to be produced first for the oil to be processed and supply a home with electrical energy for a year.

Solar energy harnessing panels are silent operators. Except maybe for the mechanical contraptions that are built into the panels so it could track the sun, from the collection of the suns rays to its photovoltaic conversion, they give neither a peep nor a squeak. It is a world of difference from the cacophony of giant drills and pumps that are used to extract oil form the ground.

Maintenance for the solar panels is very minimal. Except for the mechanical parts that are optional, almost no maintenance is needed. Once it is installed nothing much will be the cause for worry. The energy that is derived is free. With oil there is no telling what the next pump price would be and when. Oil, being a commodity, heavily depend its prices on market forces. Often with the right strategies, even market forces could be manipulated that could cause volatility in pricing.

The Disadvantages of Solar Energy

The cost. While solar energy is free, the cost of installation setbacks many household from installing it. Brand new solar energy generating systems are expensive. Although it tends to pay off overtime, initial cash out could range into several thousands of dollars depending on the quality and volume of generated power a household or an establishment would require. While solar energy technology has been around since the 1950’s it is only in recent years that its development was spurred. While costs of installation could also be subjective depending on the purchasing capacity of a customer, the benefits that could be derived out of it is enormous although mostly in unquantifiable terms.

For mass consumption, distribution lines are needed and this remains to be a big issue. Old antiquated distribution lines used to transfer electricity and other modes of fuel into the homes are clogged in many regions that to deliver solar energy power into the houses of consumers will require a different approach.

Be that as it may, the benefits from solar power far outweigh its disadvantages. It is an ideal source of energy that it may soon be the norm in power generation.

You can go green and save money just about anywhere. Your home is probably the most obvious place to start, but you can also do wonders with your car, in the office, out shopping, traveling on vacation, and much more. The opportunities are almost endless; going green doesn’t have to be more expensive, you can definitely go green and save money at the same time.

Your home probably leaks heat out during the winter and leaks heat in during the summer. For this reason most of us have winter heaters and summer air conditioning units. This should be the first place you investigate of how to go green and save money. Are all your windows tight? Are the door seals tight too? This is where heat can leak out and make your electricity bills soar.

If your house doesn’t have good loft insulation heat will pour out in winter and pour in during the summer. Insulation is one of the best ways to go green and save money. Your walls can have their cavities filled with insulating foam as well, all keeping the heat inside in winter and outside in summer for more comfortable living.

The water you use in the home is perhaps the easiest “go green and save money” source you have. Look for leaks first. Leaking faucets, even just the occasional drip, accounts for a lot of money wasted over time. You could waste as much as 140 gallons in a week!

Are your hot water pipes insulated? They should be if you aim to go green and save money. Insulated pipes let the hot water reach the faucets faster, thereby saving water, while you go green and save money too. Low flow toilets are another way to save water. You don’t need to flush gallons of water away every time, just what you need.

Edison was a genius, but his light bulb invention has been superceded by the new compact fluorescent light bulbs. These are bulbs that use a mere 25% of the energy that a traditional light bulb uses. They also last 10 times longer. Replace all your traditional bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs and instantly go green and save money!

Buy energy efficient office equipment – computers, fax machines, scanners, printers, monitors and multifunction devices (scanner, copier, fax). Some ENERGY STAR office equipment can save as much as 90% of the standard energy consumption.

Most ENERGY STAR office equipments consume 50% less energy than standard ones. Aside from energy saving advantage, some office equipments reduce electromagnetic field emissions (for monitors), air-conditioning loads, and noise from transformers and fans.

An ENERGY STAR computer is 70% more energy efficient than computers without this designation. When left inactive, this computer shifts into a low-power mode, which only uses 15 watts of power or less.

Some office equipments that do not have to be turned on all the time should be shut down and unplugged because they still draw power when turned off.

Unplugging unused electronic devices is not limited to office equipments; unplug your television, VCRs, stereos, microwave oven, electric stove and other appliances when not in use.

Do not leave other appliances turned on while working. Avoid leaving unused appliances on “standby” mode.

Turn off the computer monitor if you are going for a break. Manually turn off your computer if you are leaving for an hour or more. Avoid using screensavers because they consume the same amount of energy as with normal computer use. Activating the computer’s sleep mode is also a better way to save energy.

Do not believe that office equipment should always be turned on because it will last longer. Practicing this belief may only result to higher electric bill.

On your next upgrade, consider buying a laptop as a computer replacement as they consume less energy than desktop computers.

When the battery chargers are not in use or if the batteries are fully charged, unplug the charger immediately.

Set up your home office where you can utilize the natural light to minimize the use of lamps and room lights.

If you are working at night, prefer task lights that consume less energy instead of using room lights. Close the drapes and shades of the windows to keep cold air out and save energy on heating the room.

If you are alone in the house, make sure that you lock all the doors and windows before working.

Set the thermostat of your cooling or heating system to a comfortable level. A digital thermostat can provide better electricity savings. Work where you can reduce the use of heating or cooling system and lights. Prefer a small room as an office rather than the entire living area. Always maintain your air conditioning system clean.

Make energy saving improvements to your home. Home energy saving improvements like insulation, repairing of crack and holes (on the windows, walls, ceiling, floors, attic and basement) and switching to compact fluorescent bulbs can bring down your electric bills.

Not only that, if you are planning to sell your home, making your home energy efficient is a good strategy.

Almost half of your electric bill goes to regulating the temperature of your home. Thus if you want to save on your electric bills, the best place to start is your home’s insulation system.

Insulation is important to minimize or eliminate the heat exchange/loss inside your house. Good insulation keeps the interior warm during winter and cold during hot summer days. A well-insulated house allows your heating and cooling systems to effectively work as needed. Proper insulation can save as much as 10% of your monthly electric bill.

Meanwhile, if your house has leaks or if it has insufficient insulation, air will pass through; and heat exchange will occur on areas where insulation is inadequate. This results to heat loss. And because a house with leaks and insufficient insulation requires more power to regulate its temperature, energy consumption will likely increase.

Where to insulate?

Areas of the house including the switches, power outlets, plumbing fixtures, walls, windows, doors, ceilings, floors, basement, crawl spaces and attic should be properly insulated.

Insulation Tips

Make sure that you consider factors such as building design, budget and climate when selecting the R-values of the insulation materials. Use the proper R-values insulating materials for particular parts of the house.

Consider parts of your house such as the attic, floors, kitchen, bathroom, windows, walls, door and other parts where heat loss are more likely to happen. Use the required insulation materials on these parts to effectively control the temperature.

Sunk-lights can be a source of heat loss but you need to be careful on how close you place the insulation next to these fixtures. Check with your local building codes for reference.

When constructing a home, check on some construction materials that provide both structural support and good insulation.

Follow the product instruction when installing the insulation. Product instructions are the best source of information on how to maximize the use the products.

More Energy Saving Tips

Reduce your light consumption. Some lights produce heat that affects the temperature of the house.

Keep your temperature sensor away from hot materials like stove, oven, lights and other appliances that emit heat to get accurate temperature reading for effective heat regulation.

If the temperature outside is comfortably warm or cold, turn off your heating or cooling system. During heat season, open the drapes of the south-facing windows to allow natural light to enter your home. Close it at night to prevent cool winds from coming in. During winter, keep the drapes and shades closed to help reduce heat loss.

Buy energy-efficient products that will help minimize heat loss and reduce power consumption. Find a reputable contractor and ask advice on good heating and cooling equipment to buy.

During winter, adjust your thermostat at the lowest comfortable level; during summer, highest comfortable level.

Minimize the use of heat generating appliances to reduce the use of cooling system and save on electric bill.

A well-insulated house is like a well-sealed refrigerator. Lesser heat loss means lesser power consumption; and more heat loss means the motor will work harder to maintain the desired interior temperature and thus more energy consumed.

Saving energy means saving money. Make sure that you routinely check your house for leaks and holes and replace or repair leaking parts as soon as you discover them.

Even before the news of a cooling economy hit the papers, consumers across the globe have been finding ways to save money, trying always to have more with less. This is truer now.

With cooler winters ahead in many parts of the world and rising energy prices, the Alliance to Save Energy predicted that the average American household will have to spend $1,700 more on utility and gas pump this year compared to just two years ago. Using less and saving more is still a good idea, but alone, it may not suffice.

This year, winter heating cost is projected by the Energy Information Administration to increase an average of 15%. This is not only caused by higher energy costs but by the cooler winters that are expected.

The 15% projected higher heating costs will of course vary and is dependent to some variables like the characteristics of the space heated, the kind of fuel used for heating and where the consumer is located. Just the same, homes using natural gas as its fuel for heating, which comprise 50% of American households can expect an increase in heating cost by as much as 18%; households that are using oil could expect an increase in heating costs by as much as 23%; while those using electricity and propane will have to shell out about 10% to 11% more.

The advancement in technology gives rise to energy saving devices. Before, the main contention was that most of these devices cost more; and sometimes, the amount of energy saved did not really justify the price. But in today’s setup, the effort in cutting the energy cost has made some improvements on the efficiency of energy saving devices. With the threat of a cooling economy, energy saving devices are once again in focus. There are various and very practical devices that could be used in saving energy and they come in different brands, labels, methods of operation and products. Some saving energy suggestions are:

The solar heaters – this energy-saving device provides heating for both space and water. Depending on the type of solar heater that is used (be it a part of the structure of the home or one that engage the use of a mechanical device), solar heaters are definite money saver. It is easy on the environment too. Greenpeace should love this one.

Electrical saving devices. These are devices that you plug into your socket that promise to reduce the volume of energy that you consume by stabilizing the flow of your electric current. The only limitation to these devices is that it could only control a specific volume of wattage, say 3000 watts, at any given time. If the household will use more than the wattage capacity that the device could handle, another device should be plugged in.

Finally, there are the energy saving light bulbs, lamps, heaters, appliances and other gizmos and gadgets.

But the fact remains that saving energy is fast becoming the order of the day taking into account the current realities. So if all the energy saving devices out there will still not suffice, the “use less and save more” principle will still add a good deal to your savings.

1.Limit, as much as possible, the use of water. Of course water is not that expensive (at least for now); but saving water saves energy. When cleaning the driveway, the deck or patio, using the broom instead of the hose would save several hundreds of gallons of water a year.

2.A push mower is a good idea to mow a small lawn. Aside from not using electricity or fuel to ride the mowing machine, it is also good exercise.

3.Rakes are good leaf movers. Like the push mower, you do not need energy to fuel up a machine to get the job done. There is also a sense of nostalgia in using this traditional tool.

4.Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to light up your driveway or as a security light. CFLs are one of the most handy and energy efficient products that you can have. If you are worried about bugs sticking to the light, there are yellow CFLs that are available.

5.When shopping, avoid going for the disposable ones. Disposable products need more landfills and landfills emit dangerous gasses. Go instead for items that could be used several times over. Again when shopping, go for products that are made of better quality. They might be a little more expensive but generally, quality products last longer.

6.Bring your own bags when shopping. Paper bags are made from trees; the environment can use more of them. Plastic bags on the contrary are oil based and are not biodegradable. If you bring your bag with you, you do not only help in saving energy, you could also get a discount from your store.

7.Batteries contain toxic materials. They produce heavy metal like zinc, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, mercury etc. Thus, disposal needs proper care. Once the heavy metal in batteries seeped into the ground it has a good chance of contaminating the ground. When buying products that would need batteries, pick those that are rechargeable. That way battery disposal is limited and you save on the cost of buying new batteries.

8.Good thing that SUV sales everywhere are going down (well, at least for the environment and not for car manufacturers). SUVs use much more energy than compact sedans for the same distance. While using SUV’s could be fun, there is also that tinge of indifference to the current energy issues and environmental problems we are facing. Reducing the use of SUVs on the street may not mean much in terms greenhouse gas emissions but is a signal to manufacturers to build more energy efficient vehicles.

9.The use of solar power is an excellent idea if you want to tackle the issues of energy conservation and environment protection. If there is one thing that the world needs most at this time, it is the widespread use of solar power.

10.Energy saving devices may cost a little extra but the pays offs are much more than the extra cost in terms longer life spans and energy saved.

1. Lower your winter heating by at least one degree. If you can stand two or three degrees lower, then all the better. You will use less energy and still feel comfortable. Then in summer, let the air conditioning cool the house a little less. That’s a great start in how to go green.

2. Set your washing machine to wash clothes in cold water. Modern cleaning powders don’t need hot water, and heating the water is what consumes most of the energy that the washing machine uses.

3. Don’t use the dryer to dry your clothes! That’s not how to go green. It uses far too much energy and it’s expensive too. Hang your clothes out to dry. The air is great at drying clothes – your grandmother could have told you that.

4. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use 10% of the energy that a standard bulb needs and they last 10 times longer. So, change your light bulbs. And if you want to know how to go green in a bigger way with lights, check out the new LED bulbs. They can be twice as efficient as the CFL bulbs.

5. Use less water. Check all faucets for leaks and fix any you find. Take shorter showers, don’t bath, and consider getting a new toilet cistern that will use less than two gallons of water per flush. Standard cistern use some three and a half gallons. Using less water uses less energy and saves you money!

6. Walk rather than drive for very short trips. Use a bicycle for moderate trips, and only use the car if you really have to. Gasoline is expensive and it pollutes the atmosphere. Save on burning it and you will save on your money too, as well as help the environment.

7. When you have to drive, keep your speed down to around 55 miles per hour if possible. Your car’s engine will be running at its most efficient at that speed burning the minimum amount of gas. Practice driving smoothly as well. Don’t accelerate fast from a standing start, and don’t brake hard. This is how to go green with your car, though using public transport, walking and cycling is even better.

Previous predictions that it will still happen in a decade may no longer be true. The anger generated by the recent prices in oil and its vulnerability to market forces and other events may have already been enough to polarized people, governments and scientific communities into seriously considering a reliable alternative energy source.

You can not get a source more reliable than the sun. Even today homes that uses its power does not only benefit from the silent, energy generating, inexhaustible power of the sun, it also spikes up the prices of their homes. Those that have solar powered homes are even reimbursed for the surplus power that they supply to the power grid.

Presently, heliostats, photovoltaic cells and plate collectors are being used to collect the energy by focusing these panels towards the sun or constructing and installing the panel’s on spots where the sun shines most. Development in technology as we all know often has a snowball effect. It never stops rediscovering and reinventing that the speed of development could often be surprisingly fast.

Today, a polymer foil, thin as a sheet of paper and lighter by 200 times when compared to the regular glass collecting plates, are being developed. Chances are, these new inventions and discoveries could very well have a great potential for mass production. Previously, the glass-based materials used for heat collection need expensive substrates and require additional support for mounting due to its weight. The polymer foil, being very light could now be attached even to the walls of a structure.

So confident are scientists in the development of this technology that while the polymer foil is being developed, a plastic solar cell, based on nano technology is gaining breakthroughs. This plastic material can collect the power of the sun even on a cloudy day through harnessing the infrared rays is believed to be five times more efficient than the current technology.

While plastic materials for harnessing the power of the sun are not new, it is only recently that this plastic composite could harvest the infrared portion. Previously, only the visible rays are generated, the infrared part, which is half of the power of the sun, is invisible.

Currently, the best plastic solar cells could only harness 6% of the suns energy, with further study and development, this new plastic solar cells are expected to harness 30% of the suns solar power.

Scientists and researchers alike agree that ultimately, solar farms will be harnessing all our energy requirements and costs of power will drop. Today the price of solar powered energy is about 3 to 4 times per kilowatt hour compared with conventional electricity. That could change dramatically though the development of the existing technology and recent discoveries.

The roller pressed flexible plastic materials and the polymer foil are only two of the best hopes in arriving at a cleaner, greener and safer environment that could ultimately free the planet from its dependency on the depleting supply of oil.

Go green easily by recycling and get some change. Recycling in some areas is rewarded with cash and who can’t use a little extra green for going green? Many towns, county dumps and grocery stores have a cash back policy for aluminum, tin, plastic bottles, cardboard and other paper products so it’s worth checking out before tossing something to the curb. Call your local trash company, look on line or try asking at the library for information about your local programs. Most phonebooks have a section for newcomers that gives out this information so your resources are out there.

According to the EPA, over 260 million pounds of recyclable items hit the landfills every year in addition to 2 billion water bottles and 16 million gallons of recycle oil. That’s an awful lot of energy wasted making new containers that didn’t need creating. There are still far too many towns that make recycling feel like a major hassle instead of a needed task. Several areas in Washington state, as an example, charge you for home pick up of recyclables. Seattle, among a growing number of other cities and towns, has patrons just dump all their non-plant matter recycling into one bin and yard/garden waste into another. This creates jobs for the sorters and patrons feel encouraged to do their part.

Go green easily: recycle in as many ways as you can. Donate items to charities, use consignment stores, reuse jars and other containers in a new and useful way or destress and tap into your creative side. By turning rags into rugs, chipped mugs into folksy vases or wine bottles into candle holders you have lowered your stress with artistic and responsible flair. You can utilize your trash service, turn it into art or get some cash, the choices are there. We have gotten too used to tossing things out before rethinking their alternate uses. This is costly to your hard-earned paycheck and your planet.

Go green easily by planning your shopping trips and you keep fuel costs down.  By making a list of what you have to do and where you want to go prevents back tracking.  If you live with others, see if you can’t run errands together or even divide and conquer your lists.  One trip to the consignment shop can get your items up for sale, some new clothes in your roommate’s or partner’s closet and a new bedside novel before  grabbing some zinnias for the patio.  A phone call before leaving work puts a new batch of salad on the dinner table, replacing what got eaten as someone else’s snack; one trip, no unhappy surprises and fuel saved.  Just grab a tote from the car and grab those goodies on the way home.

Going green is easier than most people think and you don’t have to change your political party, your zip code or even your dress code.  All it takes to keep a greener planet and wallet is a little “Stop before you shop” thinking.  Need poop bags, get plastic today.  Start paying bills on line; electricity for the computer is cheaper than gasoline and uses no trees; there’s no paper check.  Bulk shop with friends to save fuel and food costs.  Get as many errands run in one area of town as you can.  There are internet sites, magazines and local groups devoted to helping everyday people, just like you, get a little greener, a little easier.