Tag Archives: water

Energy Efficient Money Saving Tips

Because of the rapidly increasing cost of fuel, energy efficiency in the home is becoming more important. Not only is inefficient energy use expensive, it’s practically criminal, considering the amount of efforts that are being made to curb pollution and global warming.
Fortunately, there are so many things that you can look into to make your home more energy efficient. But to keep things simple, we’ll categorize these things into two classifications: energy conversion and energy consumption reduction.
Energy conversion
In energy conversion, you make changes around your home so that you can use free energy that would otherwise just be wasted.
“What free energy?” you may ask. Well, there is the wind. And there is the sun.
The most popular way of energy conversion in society right now is the usage of solar panels. Solar companies can install solar panels around your home to gather energy throughout the day, storing this energy to help your home’s energy needs once the sun sets.
For water heating needs, there are also solar heaters. These rely on direct sunlight to heat up water, which is then pumped into insulated water tanks for later use, eliminating the need for fossil fuel powered water heaters.
Other ways of energy conversion include wind generators and water turbines, for houses which can take advantage of them.
The biggest downside of using these new technologies, however, is the high initial cost that you incur to have them set up – it might take a while for you to get a return for your investment if you are not able to maximize the potential of these energy converters.
Which brings us to a second issue: if you live in a sunny tropical country, solar energy may be a great option for you. If you live in an open farm, wind energy might work.
But if you live in a country that is cloudy half the year, or if you live in a city with no space to plant a wind mill, energy conversion may not be a realistic option.
Energy consumption reduction
Fortunately, you can also increase your home energy efficiency through energy consumption reduction. This method goes deeper than just turning the lights off in rooms with no people inside. It takes some planning and remodeling to make your home energy efficient.
Rearranging the lighting fixtures – or even the windows – around your home may help reduce your electricity expenses by needing fewer lights to light up certain parts of your home. Renovations around your home to insert insulation in cavities and walls will drastically help in reducing your heating expenses.
Newer, more efficient appliances will always be lighter on the energy load of your home. Look for those with the Energy Star seal, and use CFL bulbs rather than incandescent ones.
Heating in Great Britain
In Great Britain, where heating expenses make up a huge part of a home’s energy requirements, energy efficiency would start with how you obtain your heating needs.
It is always recommended that you buy new models of energy-efficient boilers, such as the ones by British Gas. British Gas boilers can cut your energy bills by £225 yearly, and they also emit far less carbon dioxide than many other boilers, making them safe for your family and the environment too.
British Gas is a solid partner for your home’s energy efficiency needs, and British Gas boilers are just one of the many ways with which you can achieve high energy efficiency for significant savings.

Live Comfortably: Manage Your Debt (Page 1 of 2)

As times get more difficult by the day, so does money become scarce. Though people continue to earn a living, there can be times when the expenses are greater than one’s income. This prompts people to think of ways to get instant cash to cover up for the days before the next payday arrives. And the easiest and most convenient way to get this instant cash is by getting a loan.

There are many available lending institutions everywhere. There are those that have offices in certain places while there are also those that can be found over the internet. Payday cash loan is an example of an online money lender available to Australians. It only poses simple requirements that can be completed in minutes such as the borrower must be above eighteen years old, should have an active checking account, and should be employed for at least the last six months. It also requires no collateral.

However, why should one rely on making loans and piling up debts if there are other options that do not cost a single dime? What people do not know is that they are paying for something that could have been acquired for less or even for free. Knowing where to spend less will help consumers save.

Here are 6 of these things:

1.Water Yes, water. It is one of man’s most basic necessities. It is in fact very affordable. But if it comes as an expense, then one may not be drinking tap. People are now into bottled water thinking that is it potable and safer for drinking. But the truth is that studies have proven that tap water is as clean, if not cleaner, than bottled water. It is regularly checked and monitored for safety and quality while the bottled water gets checked only once a year. Besides that, tap water is just pennies a glass.

2.Books and magazines If you one is into reading and loves buying bestseller books that are sold at $40 each, then this would truly add to the expenses. Instead of buying, one may consider just visiting the library to borrow some books and magazines. After all, too many books will need extra space in the house.

3.Long distance charges It is not wrong to be calling one’s family over the weekend. However, the charges that are imposed by telephone and cellphone providers are expensive. It would be better if one will consider buying long-distance calling cards as these have low per-minute charges. Furthermore, there is Skype that can be used via the internet. It’s not only cheap but efficient as well.

4. Bank Fees People think that banks do us a great favor by keeping our money for us. However, the truth is that one does not save by banking the money since bank fees are charged for every transaction especially when using the ATM machine.

Reserve Bank of Australia, in its 2010 report, revealed that people are forking out $51 million per month in ATM fees. It is good to note, though, that there are still banks that offer charge-free transactions. Online banking can also be a viable option.