With simple instructions available on how to convert to homemade wind power or DIY solar panels for as little as £200, many people are taking renewable energy more seriously. When choosing to take on a DIY conversion project the first question most people ask is will one windmill or one large solar panel be enough?

There are far too many factors involved to be able to fully answer that question for you here. But one way to start is to ensure your home is energy efficient in the first place. In this article we will walk you through some steps that will help you reduce your energy consumption before you start converting your home.

Reducing Your Energy Needs

One often overlooked step in converting a home to green power is reducing your energy needs in the first place. The average home uses inefficient lighting, power hungry appliances, and poor heating/cooling solutions. An important step to reducing your energy needs is to look at the inefficiencies in your current system.

Consider:

1. Replacing old incandescent bulbs with fluorescents or led bulbs.This can cut your energy use from lighting by 50%

2. Turn off lights when not in use.

3. Replacing old, inefficient, appliances may reduce your energy bills by as much as 30% in itself.

4. Always switch appliances off. Never leave them on standby.This wastes too much energy. You can now buy energy saving gadgets which will do this for you. However, if you start to make it part of your daily routine it will soon become second nature.

5. You should also look at your current heating/cooling solutions. That inefficient electric hot water heater could potentially be replaced by a modern solar water heater.

6.Or maybe your old air conditioner system,could be replaced with a more efficient heat exchanger.

7. Ensure the timer/ programmer on your heating only operates when the house is occupied.

8. Turn individual room, as well as radiator thermostats down one degree. You wont feel the difference, but this alone could save £50/£60 a year on your energy bills.

If you need help choosing more efficient appliances, or just want more energy saving advice, an excellent resource for this in the UK is http://www.housingenergyadvisor.com

Spend some time looking around the site and calculating how much you can reduce your energy consumption in different areas of your home. You don't have to go and spend £1000's replacing everything, but by simply reviewing everything in your home that consumes power, you will most certainly find many ways to cut your energy needs before you start your "Green Energy"conversion..