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Welcome to The Clean Energy Life. Part of the mission we seek to promote at The Clean Energy Life is to show people the benefits and practicality of adopting new energy-efficient technologies.
Many people like the idea of lowering their carbon footprint in theory but feel it is too impossible in practice.
However, throughout this website, you’ll find that many of the changes we promote are very practical, affordable, and easy to install.
Even simple residential upgrades, such as new LED lights or cheap insulation, can promote clean energy usage and reduce your electricity bills.
The Clean Energy Life is a lifestyle change that prioritizes energy independence, energy reduction, and renewable energy in all aspects of our lives.
To better define The Clean Energy Life, I’ve broken it down into a few different characteristics that help explain the mission of this website.
One of the biggest obstacles to clean energy adoption is misinformation. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that reducing their energy emissions provides several practical benefits for homeowners.
Takeaways
Switching to clean and energy-efficiency technology saves you money, increases the value of your home, and improves your standard of living.
With these benefits in mind, let’s walk through an easy 9-step process every homeowner can take to reduce their carbon emissions and save money.
The first thing we recommend every homeowner do is to calculate their carbon footprint using a carbon footprint calculator. While most calculators incorporate travel and other activities, many still provide a good estimate of how much energy your home uses.
Calculators, such as Berkley’s CoolClimate Calculator, include tips to help reduce your emissions.
In addition, it may be helpful to hire an energy consultant, although these are typically reserved for commercial developers. However, a consultant can run an audit of your home and guide you through the process of reducing your energy usage.
Ultimately, it’s essential to assess your individual needs and plan your budget so you can act accordingly.
An energy audit provides a comprehensive report on areas where energy is being wasted and the exact steps to achieve the biggest reductions.
A typical home energy audit will consist of a series of tests, including blower door tests or even infrared cameras, which show you where heat and cool air are escaping from your home.
Generally, two types of audits are available: level one (basic) and level two (in-depth) audits. The typical level one audit may only cost around $100, while a more comprehensive audit can cost a few hundred dollars more.
Nevertheless, a home energy audit is fully worth it and can give you concrete data to act on and reduce your energy consumption.
The most practical upgrade we recommend to everyone, regardless of your situation, is to upgrade to LED lighting.
LED lights consume 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last 25% longer. They are also brighter, flicker on quicker, and use less energy to convert electricity into light.
Upgrading to LED bulbs is an easy, no-risk upgrade that will provide instant savings.
Another easy and practical upgrade is to reinsulate your house. For example, rather than focusing on how much energy your appliances are consuming, it’s more practical to focus on how much you waste.
According to Forbes, the average cost of blow-in insulation for a 1000 sq. ft. space is around $1,000, making it a very affordable upgrade.
We recommend upgrading your insulation first because it will help maximize the savings of any heating or cooling appliance you upgrade to in the future.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that upgrading your heating or cooling appliances can save you between 20-40% on your monthly utility bills.
Unfortunately, aging heating and cooling systems are not only inefficiently designed but also tend to become more inefficient with age.
There are several HVAC upgrades available, including including energy-efficient heat pumps. According to the EPA, newly designed heat pumps can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% when compared to baseboard heaters and electric furnaces.
Furthermore, heat pumps are eligible for a $2000 clean energy tax credit, making the purchase very practical.
Track your home hesitating usage with a programmable thermostat.
Smart thermostats like the Google Nest can pay for themselves in as little as two years by reducing your electricity bills.
Many smart controls are programmable to create stable environments that are comfortable and optimized around your dwelling habits.
We recommend pairing your new HCAV appliance upgrade with a programmable thermostat to maximize your energy usage reductions.
Once you have upgraded most of your home to be more energy efficient, you can get a lot more granular by installing a home energy usage monitor. A home energy monitor is designed to monitor the energy usage of all of your appliances.
The Sense Monitor incorporates machine learning technology to identify every device you have plugged in and monitor their individual usage.
Installing one of these devices is simple and will allow you to monitor your overall energy usage so you can unplug devices drawing too much energy.
Renewable energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy on the planet and more accessible than homeowners think.
Thankfully, solar panels have become much more affordable in recent years. Purchasing ione solar may be expensive, but they pay for themselves in as little as 6-10 years.
While some people are hesitant, solar panels add value to your home and are built to last as long as thirty years, so you don’t have to worry about repairs or replacements.
Don’t have the money to invest in a solar panel? Consider joining a community solar program.
In states where energy regulation is available, many renewable supplies are available to supply your home using renewable energy–often for lower costs. Research your options and see if there are residential solar suppliers available near you.
Finally, if you want to reach true grid independence and live entirely on clean energy, then you need to harvest your solar energy with a battery storage unit. Products like the Tesla Powerwall can power your home when solar is not being actively collected or when you are not connected to the grid.
While the technology is expensive, it does pay for itself shortly and allows you to compound the savings you get from your solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades.
There are many ways to adopt The Clean Energy Life, whether it’s switching to LEDs or solar panels.
The Clean Energy Life is a journey and not necessarily a set destination; by making just some of these upgrades, you will see substantial improvements to your home, health, and wallet.
To learn how to get started, read about the benefits of Taking the ‘LEEP’.
Driving the clean energy movement one step at a time and making a positive impact on the environment.
The Clean Energy Life is part of the Rewire Group and is a companion site to Rewire Energy, and Rewire Digital.
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