There are too many factors involved here to answer that question for you. But one way to start is to ensure your home is efficient in the first place. In this article we will walk you through some steps that will help you reduce your energy consumption before you start converting your home.

Reducing Your Energy Needs

One often overlooked step in converting a home to green power is reducing your energy needs in the first place. The average home uses inefficient lighting, power hungry appliances, and poor heating/cooling solutions. An important step to reducing your energy needs is to look at the inefficiencies in your current system.

Consider:

1. Replacing old incandescent bulbs with fluorescents or led bulbs will cut your power consumption from light in half. 2. Replacing old, inefficient, appliances may reduce your energy bills by as much as 30% by itself.

You should also look at your current heating/cooling solutions. For example an electric hot water heater could potentially be replaced by a solar water heater. Maybe that inefficient air conditioner can be replaced with a more efficient heat exchanger.

If you need help choosing more efficient appliances, an excellent resource for this is put out by the Canadian government:Energuide Appliance Energy Usage. It?s called Energuide, and it covers everything power consumption of home appliance to energy requirements of large commercial air conditioners.

Spend some time looking through that guide and calculating how much you can reduce your power consumption in different areas of your home. By simply taking a look at everything in your home that consumes energy, you will find ways to reduce your energy needs before you start.

You don?t necessarily have to go all out and spend $10,000 replacing everything ? but things as simple as changing your lighting will reduce your energy needs before you start your conversion project.

http://www.myprofitmarketplace.com/goinggreen

How to: Build Solar Panels

There are many step-by-step guides that you can purchase to help you build your own solar panels so that you can take advantage of the sun’s energy. Make sure that you allow enough time so that you can properly build and install your new solar energy system. It will not take long would you have it installed to to realize the amount you would save on your energy bill. In many cases if you produce more energy than you actually use than you can get money back from the utility company.

Save with : Great Solar Tips

Remember that if you want to save money on your energy bill you need to consider installing a solar energy system. They can be expensive so you may want to find a do-it-yourself guide that can help you save money. One of the largest cost involved in this type of system is the installation of your panels. If you’re patient you will be able to install your own panels and start saving money immediately.

Hey, is there a recession going on? This timely article details how slack demand for electricity in 2009 may lead to the first consecutive year decline in electricity use in the U.S. since 1950. Such news may tempt some consumers to relax an otherwise robust commitment to reducing home and business electricity consumption. Conservation and energy efficiency are hard work, and harder still to turn into regular habits, especially when energy costs are low.

However, with days growing shorter and nights growing longer as we head into autumn, lighting costs will be on the rise for consumers, even if rates per kilowatt hours are ticking down. Now may be the best time to make a switch to more efficient, energy-saving light bulbs to reduce energy consumption, but there is no need to get carried away. Instead, we suggest folks start slowly with a deliberate approach that targets fixtures that are lit most frequently and for the longest periods. This often leads our customers who want to reduce energy consumption outside.

Green Light Bulbs Reduce Energy Consumption

Exterior fixtures come in as many configurations as indoor lights and they mainly serve three purposes: security lighting, accent lighting and convenience lighting. In some cases, single fixtures perform double or even triple duty.

The greatest savings, in both dollars and reduced carbon emissions, are most easily realized by installing energy-saving light bulbs in any fixtures which are lit from dusk-to-dawn but aren’t controlled by a motion sensor. This could be a floodlight above the driveway or back deck or a pair of decorative sconces or lanterns straddling the front entrance. Post lights are commonly lit all night as well. If you’re like us, you get peace of mind knowing that these lights make the home look very much occupied while you sleep.

Choosing energy-saving light bulbs with the highest efficiency ratings for the amount of light desired will reduce energy consumption and have the greenest impact. Consider this comparison: on one hand, we have a traditional (incandescent) bulb and on the other, an energy-efficient bulb. At 60 watts and 850 lumens, the efficiency of an incandescent bulb would be only 14 lumens per watt, with an annual use of 2,920 hours (8 hours/day). The annual cost to light? – approximately $20, but with a CO2 emission level of about 349 lbs. Now take a 15 watt energy-efficient bulb. Even though it has a lower wattage and uses less energy, the output of light is the same. Lumens are less at 825, and efficiency has improved to 55 lumens per watt. The annual cost to light drops $15, and CO2 emissions are nearly three-fourths less.

$15 annual savings per socket is more than enough to upgrade to energy-saving light bulbs in order to reduce your energy consumption. Your energy efficiency investment will be paid back in less than one year. As for CO2 emissions, a 75% reduction won’t do your eco-conscience any harm.

For homes, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are a solid choice for dusk-to-dawn lighting scenarios. They’re available in a wide array of wattages, shapes (including decorative), sizes and colors and are typically designed to last 8,000 hours or more. One drawback of energy-saving light bulbs in an exterior setting is that they’re affected by ambient temperature. Our advice: if you live in a colder climate, look for lamps with “amalgam” technology for best performance or buy ones with the next higher incandescent watts equivalent (example: if you’re replacing a 60 watt incandescent, buy a CFL equivalent to a 75 watt bulb). Also if a fixture isn’t weather protected, be sure to select a bulb rated for use in a wet location.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps are hitting the market at a rapid pace and are also worth considering for their superior ability to reduce energy consumption and extremely long life. Interestingly, LEDs don’t emit ultraviolet light and don’t attract insects. For an overnight fixture near a door, an LED would be a good alternative to a yellow bug lamp. Advice: insist on UL listed LEDs (not easy to find) for safety’s sake.

Energy-Saving Light Bulbs for Motion Sensors and Electronic Timers

For multiple reasons, energy-saving light bulbs, such as CFLs, are a poor choice for fixtures that light automatically by motion detection. These are typically used for security purposes but are also a feature of garage door openers. CFLs are not engineered to produce short bursts of light. Thus, a traditional incandescent bulb is a fine choice (and probably what’s in the fixture now). Advice: when the existing bulb burns out, consider a high-efficiency halogen lamp to reduce energy consumption. Currently, these energy-saving light bulbs are 30 to 40% more energy efficient than traditional incandescents. Expect these savings multiples to grow as lighting manufacturers continue to improve their halogen technology in anticipation of lighting efficiency requirements that go into effect in 2012.

As for LEDs, while they do reach maximum brightness instantly, they are still very pricey and thus not a good investment for the short bursts of light delivered by motion control sensors. Prices will come down as demand increases for energy-saving light bulbs. My advice: wait.

Some people rely on electronic timers to switch on exterior lights as darkness settles in. Again, CFLs aren’t suited for this application. In this application, where once on, the light may remain lit during overnight hours; an LED lamp, which generally works with electric eyes (check with the manufacturer) would be an excellent choice to reduce energy consumption and extend bulb life versus an incandescent bulb.

Fall’s the Time to Make the Switch to Energy-Efficient Exterior Light Bulbs

They say that the cheapest, cleanest kilowatt hour of electricity is the one that is never produced in the first place. As the shorter days of fall approach and your energy demands grow, put on your green glasses and look at the lighting fixtures outside your home. You’re almost certain to find opportunities to reduce energy consumption and live more lightly with energy-saving light bulbs.

I have found 2 trustworthy systems and will review them here:

Earth4energy GreenDIYenergy

Basically there is not much difference between these two. Their guides and support are the focus point.
Naturally it all depends on what you choose, I am just giving my honest opinion here.

Similarities between both systems:

Reduce your electrical bills Are fairly cheap to build, about $50 (Limited offer) Have extensive and easy to follow guides Included are 2 bonus packages of step by step video footage and how to build your own windmill

Differences between both systems:
Actually there are no differences between both, looking at what they both are offering, 2 bonus packages included and online support, I concluded that both are probably offered by the same people, which does not make it any less interesting.

Earth 4 Energy and GreenDIYenergy created a Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Make Your Energy Saving Solar Power Panels And Wind Generator At Home! Generating your own power from the the sun can be extremely satisfying, in addition to lowering the cost of your electrical bills.

Anyone with reasonable welding, woodworking, and wiring skills is able to build their own solar panels with ease. In fact, with the guide’s complete setup instructions and easy to follow illustrations, you can easily start building your own solar power panels in a few hours and start reaping the benefits immediately.

Conclusion
Whether you want to save money on your utility bill or make the solar power panels and wind turbines and sell them yourself, these two systems are the best one’s to consider. Especially in these economic downsizing times people are looking for financial relief and saving on your energy costs will put more money in your pocket.

Earth4energy and GreenDIYenergy are taking the internet by storm and are selling 1.000 of copies a week, get yours and start saving on your electrical bills and not to forget help the environment. At this moment both systems offer an incredible and limited discount (normally $197 now for only $49,97) I am not technical at all but their guides along with clear pictures and easy to follow instructions are awesome and will have your solar panel(s) up and running quickly so you will start saving money on your utility bill!. Check out my blog review here for more information and some free gifts.

1. Use energy saving light bulbs. You can now find energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs in all shapes, colors, wattages, and sizes. Not only can they save you up to 75% of your current light bulb energy costs, but because they burn at less intensity than incandescent bulbs, it’s not unusual for them to last as much as 10 times longer. When these bulbs first came out, they were very expensive, but every year the prices come down more and more.

2. Replace your normal thermostats with programmable thermostats. Depending on the size of your heating area, you can save hundreds of dollars of year by simply programming the thermostat to turn off your heat and air conditioning at times when you are not home. The prices of these have come down so much that you can get one with multiple day and hourly settings for under $100. You’ll typically recoup your cost in less than a year.

3. Insulate the walls in your home with cavity wall insulation. Heat loss through walls, ill fitting doors, un-insulated windows and doors can be enormous. Estimates range from 20% on the low end to 70% on the high end.

There are three main types of wall insulation materials to choose from – polyurethane foam insulation, urea formaldehyde foam, and blown mineral fiber. Prices will vary depending on the part of the country where you live.

Cavity wall insulation can easily be one of the most cost saving measures you can make to your home. The average home owner can cut their cost up to 35% and recover their cost within two years – possibly one. An additional benefit is that it usually helps to sound proof your home from outside noises and disturbances.

In addition to cavity wall insulation, it is also useful to seal window cracks in windows, doors, and the foundation with caulk and other forms of weather stripping.

4. Insulate your loft or attic. Heat rises, so it’s no surprise that in homes with lofts or attics, that’s where much of the heat loss occurs. A simple way to insulate the attic is to lay insulation materials over the attic floor, between the joists, and over the joists if they are visible. An insulation material with an R-38 rating is best.

5. Replace your furnace or boiler with an energy efficient one. If your boiler or furnace is near the end of its life span, replacing it with an energy efficient unit can repay its installed cost in three years. The important feature to look for is one with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating of at least 85%. The higher the AFUE rating the more fuel efficient it is.

These are just some of the simple steps you can make to your home to improve your energy use and cut your energy costs.

No one of us can solve the energy crisis by ourselves. But we can all do our part by taking smaller measures to reduce our individual energy consumption.

The cost of using solar energy is next to nothing after the initial investment of setting up your solar power system for your home. The amount of money that you will pay for the equipment is determined by a number of variables.

Factors that determine the cost of solar energy include your electricity requirements, the amount of sunshine that is available to charge the solar panels, size of the place where the panels will be used and incentives given by the government to people using ?green? technology.

And governments and states are recognizing the benefit to society at large to encourage the use of renewable energy sources. Clearly this would also have the effect of reducing the obligation on government to provide power which is an increasingly onerous task because of the depletion in fossil fuel supplies.
Taking into account the above mentioned variables, here is a rough estimate of the cost of solar energy.

Water Heating System: The cost of a solar water heating system is $2,000-$4,000.

Photovoltaic System: The price of a solar panel depends on its wattage. A 1 kW system costs between US $8,000 and $10,000. For an average sized family, 1.5 ? 3 kW solar panels are required, which cost between US $13,000 and US $27,000, without rebates.

You can save a lot of money on solar panels with the help of government rebates and tax credits. For example, say you live in California and have purchased a 2.5 kW system for $22,500.

The government rebate on this system will be $7000 (2500 watt x $2.80 per watt rebate = $7,000). Also subtract the tax credit amount of $ 1,163 from the sale price (7.5% of system cost after rebate. $22,500 ? $7,000 x 7.5% = $1,163).

It should be kept in mind that the example given above is an estimate and other factors will play a part in determining the final cost price of a solar energy system.

You can reduce these costs enormously though by building your own solar panels which can be built at a fraction of the cost of buying ready made units.

Walls of your house that give off 35% of the heat 25% of the heat to escape through roof 25% of the heat to emit from doors and windows

As the temperature drops in the winter months, the heated air goes up. You have to warm it up using heater and consuming energy only to increase your energy bills. Insulating your house means you are adding a layer of heat resistant materials to the areas that send off heat through small openings or holes. Three main types of home insulation processes are –

Cavity wall insulation – The external walls of your house with gaps in between two thin brick walls are targeted to give cavity wall insulation treatment. Small holes are drilled into the external walls to inject insulation materials. This is called blown in home insulation. Blown in home insulation is advised to be done by professional contractors to ensure 100% effectiveness of the insulation. Wall insulation can save about 120 pound on yearly fuel bills plus 800kg of CO2. Insulating solid walls saves even more – 2.6 tonnes of Co2 and 380 pounds on fuel bills. Loft insulation – Thick insulation materials at least 270mm as per government recommendations are laid in the attic area of the house in loft insulation process. Loft insulation can be done in DIY method except those areas which are difficult to access by a layman. This home insulation completed by following recommended depth can slash energy bills up to 205 pounds a year and 1 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Draught proofing – Tiny cracks and small gaps around doors and windows can be spacious enough to send off 20% of the heat from the house. Therefore, sealing those draughts to absorb cold air inside will help your building retail the heat air inside. Areas targeted for this home insulation process includes keyholes, gaps around floorboards, small openings around doors and windows

Amongst these three home insulation processes draught proofing is the cheapest and easiest to install as materials are easily available from DIY stores and insulation process can be completed by users themselves.

The key to energy performance contracting is to use long-term utility savings to fund the improvements. The ESCO often guarantees energy savings that will meet or exceed annual payments to cover all project costs, usually over a contract term of seven to 20 years.

“A building owner either pays a utility for an inefficient building, or they can pay an ESCO to improve their building,” says Jeff Stokes, a vice president at World Energy Solutions, a publicly traded ESCO (symbol: WEGY) based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

World Energy Solutions strives to reduce kilowatt usage by up to 30 percent. The company offers a variety of services, including utility billing and rate analysis, energy auditing, installation of building improvements, building systems maintenance and ongoing monitoring and verification of the energy savings.

ESCOs can provide flexible and unique ways to finance their services. For example, World Energy Solutions offers to pay the

total up-front cost of installation as well as equipment maintenance in return for an 80 percent share of the actual savings realized over a minimum 10-year period.

“In some cases, our company will fund the entire installation, at no charge to our customer, and live off the savings we generate over a certain amount of time,” says Ben Croxton, chief executive officer of World Energy Solutions.

ESCOs not only identify energy-saving opportunities, but also develop engineering designs and specifications and manage the entire process. They also can provide staff training and ongoing maintenance services.

Even the federal government has gotten into the act, and for good reason: Executive orders that require federal agencies to use 35 percent less energy by 2010 in comparison to 1985 levels will require $5 billion in energy projects. Much of that will go to “Super Energy Savings Performance Contracts,” offered by the Department of Energy.

Start today to do your part to conserve energy and save on your power bill by using these tips

Change all of your incandescent tungsten filament light bulbs in favor of fluorescent light bulbs or even better LED light bulbs. The LED light bulbs are rated for 100,000 hrs or approximately 12 years and are about 12 times more efficient than regular light bulbs. But no matter what bulb you use, if you do not turn them off when not in use, you burning energy.

Get power strip to put your TV and DVD on. Put another on you PC and all the attachments. When not in use turn them off at the power strip. These models will still continue to consume power even when not turned on. This is ti give instant starts with no warm up need. The thing is, your TV will use as much power in one day in standby mode as you use to watch an entire movie. These standby devices can consume up to 15% of your power bill. That is pretty big piece change in some households.

Air dry your clothes. Shut that drier off in the summer time and let the sun have at your clothes. The clothes drier is power sucking device for the 45 minutes you dry a load of clothes.

Do not do a load of laundry or dishes until the washer is full. Better yet, do the dished by hand and save boat of cash on hot water and the dry cycle of the dishwasher.

Cut back on the A/C. Turn the thermostat a few degrees warmer than usual. It is not healthy to run the A/C any cooler than about ten degrees cooler than outside temps anyway. Or turn the thermostat down a notch or three in the winter. Put on a sweater if you get cool rather than heat the whole house. These devices are hungry energy monsters so use them sparingly for maximum energy conservation.

Take five minute showers instead of the usual half hour showers. Shower rather than bathe. Shower with a friend. Save water and the juice it takes to heat all of that water.

These are things you can do today to start saving and costs nothing except for the replacement of the light bulbs. There are few things you can do that will cost a bit more though that are huge energy savers.

Caulk all doors and windows.

Put weather strips on all doors and windows and keep them in good working condition.

Replace old single pane windows for new energy efficient type windows

Add insulation to your attic. Blow the attic to a minimum of 18 inches

Install reflective roofing if possible or the next you re-roof put on light colored singles to cut down on the absorption of the sun’s energy

Install awnings over the windows to block summer sun invasion

These just a few things you can do to start conserving energy and saving on your power bill. With a wee bit of effort on your part, you could cut back on the energy you use up to a whopping 50% and hardly even notice a change in your life style.

Turning off your lights in rooms that are not being used is a good way to reduce your electricity consumption; it is not the largest use of electricity though, it only accounts for around 5-10 percent of the overall home electricity use. Refrigerators use the majority of energy in the home, up to 17 percent, with older models using a lot more. To reduce your energy consumption it would be a viable option to upgrade your old refrigerator to a new Energy Star rated model. The Energy Star is a federal campaign to help consumers find appliances that can help them save a considerable amount of energy. In conjunction with the Energy Star rating, there are some other methods that you can help save energy with your refrigerator. Make sure that all door seals clean and tight, do not position the refrigerator near heat sources, such as ovens, do not leave the door open for extended periods, and prevent frost build up.

To help lower your energy consumption when washing clothes, use a cycle that only uses cold water, and run full loads. Running a cycle that uses hot water can contribute up to 90% of electricity used for the washing machine. There are Energy Star washing machines available for purchase also. Front loader washing machines are more energy efficient as are machines that have a water level controls, so that you are not washing in too much water therefore wasting electricity.

Air conditioners contribute up to 5% of electricity consumption in the United States according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The ACEEE recommend that before running air conditioning to cool your home, that you reduce heat “sources” by ensuring that you have proper insulation, tinting your windows, and removing items that give of heat. Do not let your air conditioner run when you are away from the home. Ensure that you keep doors and windows closed when your air conditioning is running to reduce the heat in the area that you are trying to cool, therefore reducing how hard your air conditioner has to work and keeping your energy consumption at a minimum.