When you sit at home, do you realize how much energy you consume? Things like powering the lights, having access to wifi at all hours, showering with hot water and keeping vast amounts of food fresh in your refrigerator all require a continual energy source. With people talking about the necessity to convert from fossil fuels to renewable energy, your home may one day need a different power setup. Here are four trending ways you can currently cut back on your non-renewable energy use.
1. Power Your Home With Solar Panels on the Roof
Homebuilders like Bill Starkey may soon need to change their building strategies to include new trends in renewable energy. One way new homes can be more energy efficient is by installing rooftop solar panels. These panels absorb energy from the sun to provide power to the electronics within your home. New solar shingles are also becoming available, which can be used instead of solar panels. These completely replace the current shingles on your home.
2. Heat Water With a Solar Water Heater
Another option for builders is to include a solar water heater. Many homes use natural gas, propane or heating oil to operate their water heaters. However, you can use solar power in this situation instead. These specially designed heaters use energy from the sun to warm the tank of water. While this may not supply a constant source of hot water in a home with many people, it does cut back on gas or oil dependency.
3. Cool Your Home With a Solar Air Conditioner
Your air conditioner uses a lot of electricity to operate. Especially if you live in a hot climate. Many of these locations have many uninterrupted days of sun, so using this power source is an excellent alternative to electricity. Some of these products have solar panels attached to the air conditioning unit, while others utilize hot water to power the appliance. Either option uses the sun’s energy to help you cool down inside your home.
4. Cook Using a Solar Oven
If you enjoy baking, you know that heating the oven uses a lot of power and radiates a lot of heat into your home. This creates a wasteful cycle of using energy that releases extra warmth into your house, therefore, requiring you to use more power to cool your home. Ideally, cooking outside during the hottest of days helps keep your home cool without using extra energy. Options such as wood smokers and fire pits use renewable energy and keep the heat out of the house. Another trend is using a solar oven. These outdoor devices reflect the sun’s heat to cook your food. An added benefit is that you can use it while the power is out, and it doesn’t cost money to operate. Cooking most of your food outside may take some getting used to, but it’s an easy way to cut back on electricity and gas.
There are many ways to use renewable energy in your home. Trends such as solar-powered appliances, cooking outside and installing solar panels are just a few options available to you.
