Reduce Food Waste
Your grocery bill may constitute more than 50 percent of your total household bills. Thus, any and all efforts to reduce food wastes will add up to big benefits to your pockets and to the environment for many reasons. You can achieve this end by:

• Lessening your food consumption in terms of shopping for groceries.
• Using leftovers for new dishes and enforcing a no-dregs policy
• Planning meals in advance to avoid too much leftovers

Use Heaters Wisely
We are so dependent on hot water for many of our needs from washing our bodies to washing our dishes and clothes. Well, go green by choosing cold water for many activities in the house. Start by taking cold showers when the weather permits instead of hot tub baths. Then progress into using unheated tap water for washing your hands, dishes and clothes. Studies have shown that tap water is just as effective in killing germs as hot water. The trick is in washing your hands properly for 20 seconds, soaking the clothes for 30 minutes to remove stubborn dirt and washing off the dregs on the eating utensils before placing on a full dishwasher.

Unplug the Appliances
You can save as much as 10-15 percent of your electricity bill simply by unplugging the cords from their sockets when these are not in use. This is because so-called phantom electricity does not flow from the grid into your appliances. And speaking of appliances, you can save money by either buying ones with the Energy Star logo or ones that have been refurbished. Of course, make sure that the refurbished appliances are also energy-efficient. You ought to save money in the long run instead of sticking to your run-down appliances. However, do recycle said old appliances with the manufacturers or with the recycling centers.

You can also find ways to save money on the accessories associated with your appliances. For example, you can exchange CDs, DVDs and computer games with your family and friends, or even with strangers via dedicated online sites.

Use Recycled Materials for Your Home
As much as possible, use recycled materials for your home. You can purchase scrap lumber from hardware stores, vintage wood and glass panels from garage sales and old houses, utensils and ornaments made of recycled materials from green stores and sites, to name a few options. You will often spend less on these items and yet get as much mileage as you possibly can from them. Better yet, you should adopt the motto of environmentalists everywhere – reduce, reuse and recycle. You will soon find that indeed being eco-friendly has its rewards for you and for your children’s children.

Starting today, do look around your home and see what else needs to be done to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. And earn as well as save money while you are at it!

First you should investigate the local building codes to see what is allowed, and what is not. You may need a permit to install a solar water heating systems, and some homeowner associations may not permit them at all. State, county, and city codes may have jurisdiction over your site as well. A qualified construction contractor should be consulted to see if the roof will support the weight of a solar collector.

Next you should determine the economics of installing a solar water heating system. How much hot water you use and the cost of that hot water are the first things you should find out. That will tell you the size of the water heater you need and from that you can determine the type of hot water heater you should purchase. Once all this is known, the cost of the solar water heating system can be determined. Compare the cost and expected life of the unit to your estimated annual savings over the life of the system. If the expected savings are greater than the cost of the system, then it will probably pay off to have it installed.

Next you will need to evaluate your home’s site. Is there sufficient sunlight to provide the heat you need. In general, you should have sunlight between the hours of nine o’clock in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon. A southern exposure is the best, as this will expose solar collector to the most sunlight for the longest period of time. A professional solar water heater installer should be able to provide a good site analysis for you.

Once all these steps have been completed, you will need to find a competent contractor to install the solar water heating system. These systems are complex and should not be attempted by the homeowner unless they are skilled in construction and plumbing techniques. You will need to know if the contractor is experienced in installing solar hot water systems, how long they have been in business and if they are certified. Some states require either a plumbers or solar contractor license to install solar hot water systems.

The installation of a solar hot water system can save you money on your energy bill. But research should be done before installing a system. Investigation of your local building codes, calculation of the economics and an evaluation of your home’s site are all very important steps to be taken. A good solar contractor can help you with these steps and will install the system properly as well as provide you with advice on running and maintaining the system. Asking the right questions will help you find the right contractor for your installation. Only after fully researching the project should a solar hot water system be installed in your home.