If you have the responsibility to pay for amenities, like electricity, water, gas, etc. then you may have experienced the gut-wrenching feeling when you receive the bills each month. There’s not a lot of things, financially speaking, that take as big a toll on your bank account. During the winter months especially, when it gets darker earlier and colder more frequently, there’s a direct relation to an increase in heat and electricity. You will be pleased to discover that there are many things you can do to eliminate or reduce these unwanted energy expenses in your life so you can contribute to your savings.
*This is a collaborative post.
*This is a collaborative post.As society realizes the beauty of off-grid techniques, it’s no surprise that people are finding ways to incorporate these ideas into their homes. Small solar kits and transitions, heating your house the old-school way (with a fireplace), and cooking food over the fire are just some ways you can limit your costs.
Solar-Powered Everything
With the rise of technology becoming not only expensive but potentially detrimental to the environment with dams and other energy sources, it’s pleasing to see all the ways we are able to transition to a non-electric-powered lifestyle.
Everything, from your phone charging station to your walkway lights and entire housing, can be switched from electric to solar. The sun is a never-ending resource for society to capture, and it requires no drilling that pollutes and disrupts the soil, no windmills that kill valuable birds and insects, and no bills to pay each month.
Starting with a device as small as your phone, you can purchase phone charging stations that can be charged in the sun, passing along the energy to your phone’s battery. They are so popular now, they come in all different styles, including cute trees that sit on a desk or window seal where the sun hits frequently. Unfortunately, these only support small devices that have USB connections, and you will need a proper solar system to charge laptops or run a blender.
Solar systems (panels, inverters, batteries, charge controllers, etc.) can be costly, depending on how big a solar setup you need at your home. There are beginner kits available online that will set you up with panels and a charge controller, but not a battery or an inverter, which will need to be purchased separately.
Because solar is getting more popular each year, new places are popping up around the world that allow you to exchange broken solar parts for redeveloped parts, which is a cheaper option than buying them new. Keep an eye out on prices as it continues to grow in popularity–even an Indian state, Kerala, has a fully solar-powered airport. It shows that solar can help greatly with energy expenses.
Wood Stoves
Although wood stoves are more common in certain parts of the world than gas stoves, developed countries tend to like convenience and efficiency. It might be time-consuming to start a fire every night and morning to cook food on and warm the house, but it costs less and is more sustainable. The only expense is the stove if you don’t already have one, and firewood, which can be ordered from your local log delivery service. With most things, saving money requires investing money. The upfront costs for solar and wood will be much less than paying those bills overtime.
What tips do you have for reducing your energy expenses at home? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post. This post has been pre-written.
