10 Best Immune System Supplements To Boost Immune System Function

Learn how to boost immunity naturally with immune-boosting herbs, vitamins, best foods and immune system supplements to boost immune system function.

In addition to sanitizing your hands and disinfecting your home during a pandemic, you need to boost another important part of your body to fight germs like viruses and bacteria – your immune system.

How Can I Boost My Immune System?

Our modern diets lack many of the ingredients that boost immune system response, but the internet has made it easier than ever for us to access the immune-boosting herbs and supplements to boost immune system function in adults and children.

Your body’s best defence against germs is a healthy immune system, so immune system supplements and herbs to boost immune system function are an essential part of your pandemic protection kit.

If you suffer from an immune system disorder or have a compromised immune system, and are asking yourself, “What can I take to boost immune system response during this pandemic?” this article will introduce you to the best supplements to boost immune system response.

With access to all the best supplements for immune system online, there’s no reason why you can’t consume the best immune-boosting foods and best vitamins to strengthen immune system response.

10 Best Immune System Supplements To Boost Immune System Function

Wondering what to eat to boost immune system function? In this article, we list the best immune booster supplements and herbs to boost immune system function, so you can learn how to increase natural immunity.

Whether you’re looking for an immune booster for kids or the best immune booster supplements for adults, you’ll learn how to increase immune system function with the best immune-boosting foods, immune-boosting vitamins and immune-boosting herbs.

1. PuraTHRIVE® Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C

Unlock the power of oral Vitamin C with PuraTHRIVE’s patented Micelle Liposomal delivery technology for 140x better absorption.

The new Gold Standard Vitamin C offers unparalleled bioavailability, can enhance and support healthy immune function and supports healthy aging, skin elasticity, hair and nail appearance.

PuraTHRIVE® Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C uses a revolutionary 100% unique process to administer Vitamin C quickly and efficiently. This patented delivery system allows Vitamin C to pass through the digestive system safely and target the cells that need it most.

The Vitamin C is encapsulated into tiny, nano-sized micelles which are further enveloped into liposomes – essentially healthy fat cells. The protective liposomes shield the tiny Vitamin C micelles from the hostile environment and absorption barriers found in the human gut.

As the liposomes travel through the digestive system, they slowly peel away in a controlled manner. The micelles are gradually released and eventually, the buffered Vitamin C is deposited near the gut lining where it can be fully absorbed.

Click here to order PuraTHRIVE® Micelle Liposomal Vitamin C

2. Immune Defence Zinc Lozenges with Rosehip & Acerola

Immune Defence supports your immune system by providing you with a daily dose of zinc and vitamins A, C and E. These soothing, aniseed flavour lozenges dissolve quickly on the tongue, bathing the back of the throat in Zinc ions.

Whether you’re fighting off a cold, going through a stressful time or just want to keep your immune system in fighting form, Immune Defence helps provide your body with critical immune-boosting nutrients and can help you look after your immune system during times of stress.

As well as zinc, Immune Defence also contains Rosehip, a source of Vitamin C, A and E, and Acerola, a natural source of Vitamins C and A, all of which contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

Support your body’s resistance to highly infectious cold and flu viruses and help fortify your body’s natural immunity defences with regular use of Immune Defence zinc lozenges.

Studies have shown that zinc lozenges may help to reduce the duration of cold symptoms by up to 50 per cent. By ensuring your body has sufficient amounts of zinc and vitamins, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance of staving off seasonal illness.

The elderly are particularly prone to zinc deficiency, meaning their immune systems are at higher risk. Immune Defence zinc lozenges are suitable for adults and children over the age of 12, so you can protect the health and wellbeing of your whole family.

Click here to order Immune Defence Zinc Lozenges with Rosehip & Acerola

3. Garden of Life mykind Organics Elderberry Plant-Based Immune Gummy

Elderberry is a dark purple berry from European elder trees containing antioxidants. It is considered to be an antiviral with many immunity-boosting benefits and believed to relieve colds and fight the flu.

Delicious immune system support gummy with organic black Elderberry, Echinacea, zinc and vitamin C. Organic Black Elderberry and Echinacea has been used for centuries in traditional herbal remedies.


Made with Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified real fruit, no animal gelatin, no artificial dyes, added sweeteners or chemicals, the Elderberry Immune Gummy contains no gelatin and no refined sugar. Great for the entire family.

4. Vive Organic Immunity Boost

The Vive Organic Immunity Boost Wellness Shot is one of the best immune booster drinks available. It contains fresh ingredients like organic ginger, elderberry, turmeric root and Echinacea, cold-pressed in a concentrated shot to keep your body battle ready

This immunity drink is one of the best natural supplements for immune system function as it contains a high concentration of ginger and turmeric root to kick start immunity, as well as black pepper and Echinacea with a delicious flavour of pineapple and ginger.


Vive Organic’s Immunity Boost Original is an immune booster shot created by a team of holistic specialists with strongest, most effective combinations of organic leaves, ginger root, elderberry, roots, flowers, grasses, fruits, and veggies.

If you’re looking for drinks to boost immune system function, Vive Organic’s power-packed blend of ginger root, fruits and echinacea is the ultimate immune system strengthener. It beats having to make your own ginger immunity shot at home.

If you have a weak immune system and want to know how to strengthen immune system function, take 1 to 3 Vive Organic Immunity Boost Shots daily for that Vive immunity boost and detox.

5. Children’s Immune Boosters – Best Immune Booster Supplements For Kids

As a parent, your child’s health is very important to you. During flu season, and even before, it makes sense to give your children the best immune booster supplements for kids.

VitalVits Liquid Vitamins for Kids is a gluten-free and sugar-free children’s immune system booster that provides the best immune system support formulated especially for your little ones.

Fortified with iron and children’s multivitamins like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin A and C, this great-tasting children’s immune supplement provides the nutrients necessary for building and maintaining a strong immune system during important growing up years.


With a 4-year shelf life, great taste and liquid formula, this is the best immune booster for toddlers, as it makes it easier and faster for your kids to get all the necessary vitamins for children’s immune system either with a meal or alone.

So if you’ve been looking for a natural immune booster for toddlers, you’ll find that VitalVits Liquid Vitamins for Kids is the best immune booster for kids because it provides the best immune support for kids’ immune systems.

Note:  When choosing an immune system booster for kids, always consult your pediatrician before you choose immune booster supplements for toddlers.

Looking to boost baby’s immune system function naturally? Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Immune Support is a safe and effective infant immune booster supplement is the best immune support for toddlers as it is specifically designed to meet the needs of growing infants and toddlers, age 2 months and up.

These multivitamin and immune support drops contain no artificial flavors, dyes, drugs, alcohol, or gluten, and provides a natural immune booster for toddlers with vitamins A, C, D, E plus zinc, the best vitamins for immune system support.


This infant immune booster supplement also contains powerful natural ingredients like dark honey, elderberry, and agave. As the best immune booster for toddlers, Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Immune Support Supplement includes a special dispensing oral syringe, so you can easily measure dosages to administer the syrup.

Note:  When looking to boost baby’s immune system, always consult your pediatrician before you choose an infant immune booster for babies or toddlers.

6. Herb Pharm Rapid Immune Boost

Looking for the most powerful immune-boosting herbs to give you a rapid immune boost? The Herb Pharm Rapid Immune Boost liquid herbal formula is expertly formulated with the best herbs for immune system support.


This gluten-free and non-GMO herbal immune supplement contains some of the best herbs to boost immune system response such as Black Elderberry, Echinacea, Ginger, Goldenseal, Horseradish, Osha, Spilanthes, Yarrow, Wild Indigo and Yerba Santa.

Each herb in Herb Pharm’s top-selling immune system support formula is individually extracted to ensure a broad spectrum of therapeutic plant compounds, making it one of the best immune support supplements.

7. Dr Price’s Immunity Booster Powder

Fortified with immune-boosting vitamins such as natural Vitamin C powder, zinc and chromium, Dr Price’s Immunity Booster Powder is a Vitamin C immune booster supplement comes in convenient to-go packets that you can take anywhere.

Unlike many other supplements, Dr Price’s Immunity Booster also contains a unique blend of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) which comprise the building blocks for immune system cells to respond rapidly to invaders.


As you age, your digestive system can become weaker which makes it tougher to digest and absorb supplements and vitamins for immune system support.

Dr Price’s Immunity Booster Powder contains no unnecessary fillers and additives like most pills, tablets and capsules, so your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break them down and benefit from their use.

This Non-GMO, gluten-free, immune support formula is 100% naturally sweetened with Stevia leaf extract and the powdered water-soluble formula mixes with liquid easily for fast and easy absorption, making it one of the best immune health supplements for older people.

8. Homoeopathic Immune Booster With Echinacea Goldenseal

The Liquid Immune Booster with Echinacea Goldenseal is a homoeopathic immune supplement that combines seven powerhouse herbs to build immune system function, including two types of Echinacea, Nature’s most potent natural immunity defender.

These herbs are Echinacea Purpurea Root, Oregon Grape Root, Echinacea Angustifolia Root, Goldenseal Root, Astragalus Root, Lomatium Root and Usnea Lichen.

This herbal blend can help reduce the duration of the common cold and also decreases the chances of catching a cold by over 50%. Several studies have also shown that Echinacea and Goldenseal can help decrease airway inflammation and expand air passages.


This natural immune booster supplement is the #1 immune and cold weather formula and one of the best things to boost the immune system naturally during an outbreak.

It supports and helps activate your body’s natural defences by boosting white blood cell (WBC) activity and stimulates immune system naturally. WBCs are the first immune system cells to recognize pathogens and fight off infection.

This Immune Booster is in the liquid form, making it one of the best home remedies to boost immune system function in older people because the body is able to absorb it better, faster, and at higher amounts than a capsule or pill. It also works for those with a fear of swallowing pills or difficulty absorbing nutrients.

The Liquid Immune Booster is one of the best immune system support supplements to improve your health from the inside because it supports your eyes, nose, respiratory and immune system for year-round wellness. It also comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.

Note: This product is not suitable for those with overly sensitive autoimmune condition profiles or to be taken continuously for more than 3 weeks at a time.

9. Tulua Turmeric Ginger Probiotic Shots – Turmeric Immunity Shot

Looking for a turmeric immunity shot with probiotics to help immune system function? Tulua Turmeric Ginger Probiotic Shots give you turmeric’s immune system benefits with natural immune-boosting foods like ginger and probiotics that support digestive and immune health and reduce inflammation.

Formulated with the patented, award-winning branded probiotic, GanedenBC30, and 1 billion CFU Bacillus coagulans to support digestive and immune function, this immune system booster shot is packed into easy little bottles that require refrigeration upon arrival.


Because this organic immune booster contains cold-pressed pineapple, ginger juice, lemon and turmeric juices, with probiotics, refreshing coconut water and black pepper, it is the best immune supplement containing foods that boost your immune system.

Tulua Turmeric Ginger Probiotic Shots are certified organic, kosher, non-GMO, preservative-free, and contain no added sugar or sweeteners. Another turmeric immunity supplement to boost immune system function is Herbalife Immune Booster.

10. Ayurvedic Immunity Boosters

Looking for ayurvedic immunity boosters to increase immunity? Here are two of the best immune booster supplements to build immune system function.

This ayurvedic medicine to boost immune system function is a 100% natural and herbal remedy to build a strong immune system. This immune system booster for kids can be given to children who get frequent sinus and throat infections.

It works for problems like asthma, chronic cough, inflamed liver, and frequent urinary tract infections in women. With regular use, this natural immune booster can boost immunity by reducing free radicals in the body.


It contains grape seed extract, bovine colostrums extract, bhumi amla (Indian gooseberry) and Amalaki, all products to boost immune system function. Take 1 or 2 immune system booster pills twice a day, with plain water, after meals.

If you prefer vegan ayurvedic immunity boosters, Banyan Botanicals Immune Health Now is the best immune system booster to boost your immune system.

This non-GMO, sustainably sourced, vegan, organic herbal immune booster supplement is one of the best immune boosters for adults and contains a powdered mix of herbs for lungs, respiratory and immune system support.


This herbal powerhouse supplement supports immune system function by bolstering the body’s natural defences with potent herbs like turmeric, amla, neem, cardamom, cinnamon, as well as herbs for lungs like vasaka, tulsi, pippali, and ginger that work synergistically to warm, nourish, and strengthen a healthy respiratory tract.

As one of the best natural remedies to boost immune system function, you can take it regularly or you need more support. Combine ½ teaspoon of this herbal mixture with 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup and blend together to make a paste. Take directly from the spoon or add to warm water and drink as a tea. Take it 2 or 3 times daily after meals.

Note: This product is not to be used during pregnancy. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of this product.

More Natural Ways To Boost Your Immune System

Stop Touching Your Face Hypnosis

Want to know how to stop touching your face so you can increase your resistance to disease and boost your wellbeing? Studies suggest that people touch their face as often as 16 to 23 times per hour.

Every time you touch your face, there is the potential for bacteria and viruses to be transferred to the areas around your eyes, nose, and mouth, where they can infect you and cause disease.

Of course, just because you transfer bacteria or viruses to your face doesn’t automatically mean you will become unwell. That’s what your immune system is for: to detect and fight off these pathogens.

But at times of increased risk – when pathogens are present in high numbers, or when a novel pathogen arises – our immune system needs all the help it can get.

Do you often find yourself touching your face unnecessarily? Are you worried that it may be increasing your risk of infection?

Touching your face is a subconscious habit, so it’s almost impossible to break using conscious strategies. That’s why hypnosis is such a valuable tool.

Hypnosis works directly with your subconscious to acknowledge your habit of touching your face and redirect it towards new, healthier habits.

Stop Touching Your Face is a free hypnosis session that will help you naturally adopt healthier habits that reduce your exposure to potentially harmful pathogens.

Strengthen Your Immune System Hypnosis

Strengthen Your Immune System is an audio hypnosis session which pulls together the latest understandings of mind-body interactions. It will help you to master the art of deep relaxation, which can reduce the effects of stress in your life.

Strengthen Your Immune System will give you precisely targeted suggestions designed to boost the functioning and efficiency of your immune system. And all you need to do is let your conscious mind float away in delicious serenity.

Download Strengthen Your Immune System and support the protective power of your own body. You can listen on your computer or device or via the free app which you can access when you’ve completed your purchase.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this web site is presented for the purpose of educating people. Nothing contained on this web site should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any healthcare-related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly. Always consult with your physician or other qualified health care provider before embarking on a new treatment, diet, or fitness program.

This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

How To Kill Germs, Bacteria And Viruses In The House Or While Travelling

Learn about coronavirus prevention with a face mask for germs, how to make homemade medical face masks, how to use natural disinfectants like UV light, vinegar and alcohol to kill germs like bacteria and viruses in the house.

Every few years, humankind comes across a pathogen that has the potential to wipe out millions of people. From the plague to the Spanish flu, Ebola, H1N1, SARS, MERS and now the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

The primary concern that everyone on Earth now faces is how to avoid getting infected with the new COVID-19 coronavirus.

In this article, you’ll learn why you must wear a face mask when you go out, how to make your own DIY protective face mask, how to kill germs on hands and in the home, and how to kill flu germs on surfaces.

Experts are still unsure about the COVID-19 coronavirus mode of transmission but scientists have identified genetic markers of the virus in airborne droplets, many with diameters smaller than one-ten-thousandth of an inch, adding to growing evidence that the novel coronavirus can spread through the air.

Droplets that small, which are expelled by breathing and talking, can remain aloft and be inhaled by others, so it strongly suggests that there is potential for airborne transmission and that current coronavirus precautions may be insufficient to prevent coronavirus transmission.

3 Common Sense Tips To Avoid Catching Germs

In an uncertain and ever-changing world, there are a lot of things that are beyond your control, so it’s better to concern yourself with the things you can control, such as how to avoid germs like bacteria and viruses.

Here are some coronavirus isolation precautions and common sense ways to avoid catching germs:

1. Wear a reusable, washable face mask or plastic face shield for germs

Many airborne pathogens are spread through droplets released by sneezing or coughing. Don’t bet your life on other people caring enough to cover their mouths or noses.

An important coronavirus prevention measure is to wear a protective face mask or scarf to avoid inhaling germ-carrying droplets. According to this article in The Guardian, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus.

If you’re likely to be in close contact with someone infected, a face mask for germs cuts the chance of the disease being passed on. If you’re showing coronavirus symptoms or have tested positive for the virus, wearing a mask can also protect others.

Will wearing a coronavirus mask help?

Unfortunately, mixed messages from the experts have stigmatized the wearing of masks. According to the Lancet, one important reason to discourage widespread use of face masks is to preserve limited supplies for professional use in health-care settings, which is a valid point when supplies are scarce.

The coronavirus incubation period is somewhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure, according to the CDC. Recent evidence suggests 25% of people infected with the new coronavirus don’t have any symptoms or fall ill, but can still transmit the illness to others.

The latest research on coronavirus mode of transmission shows that coronavirus can be spread not just by sneezes or coughs, but also just by talking, or possibly even just breathing and, under certain conditions, viral droplets could travel as far as 27 feet!

Live coronavirus can also persist in the air in aerosol form and it’s possible that aerosolized coronavirus droplets can hang in the air and potentially infect someone who walks by later.

That’s why community transmission might be reduced if everyone (including infected people who are asymptomatic and contagious) wears face masks.

According to Wired Magazine, when you look at photos of Americans during the 1918 influenza pandemic, one feature stands out above all else: face masks. Fabric, usually white gauze, covers nearly every face.

Across the country, public health experts recommended universal mask-wearing, and some cities ordered residents to wear them under penalty of fine or imprisonment.

Spanish flu in 1918. Police officers in masks.

Experts have proposed that widespread use of face masks is one of the many reasons why China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have controlled outbreaks of coronavirus much more effectively than coronavirus in the US and Europe.

In the US and Europe, the number of coronavirus cases and the coronavirus death toll is now higher than in Asia, an outcome that could possibly have been prevented by taking coronavirus precautions such as wearing a face mask.

According to Tom Inglesby, Director of The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, members of the general public should wear non-medical fabric face masks when going out in public in one additional societal effort to slow the spread of the virus down.

From a practical and societal point of view, surgical or self-made masks, if handled properly, will, at worst, not hurt and may, at best, help. They do not have to be n95 face masks.

These simpler, inexpensive masks may suffice to help to flatten the curve, perhaps a bit, perhaps substantially. Importantly: using them will not take away valuable N95 respirator masks from health care workers.

The CDC now advises that cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the US.

In this video, Surgeon General, Dr Jerome Adams, shares ways to create your own face-covering in a few easy steps.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidelines.

Want to learn how to make a homemade medical face mask or a DIY protective face mask with filter pocket to cover your face when going out?

In the video below, a doctor explains how to make the safest face mask that utilizes a HEPA filter, which is much, much better than a cotton mask.

You can also buy durable injection-moulded DIY face mask frames for health care providers, elderly individuals, and those with the greatest need. Just add your own filter media (numerous options) to build an improvised face mask.

This family 6-pack of face mask frames features two of each size: Large for the average male adult, Medium for the average female adult, and small for children.

Face shields may be preferable to face masks

Plastic shields, which are already a critical piece of protective gear for many hospital workers, maybe a better disease-fighting tool than a mask, for venturing out in public.


Happyshield is a new open-source origami-style face mask designed for fast and cheap mass production. You can make it at home.

If you don’t have access to face masks or face shields, then tie a scarf around your face when you go out. Here are some tips to tie a scarf properly.

When you return home, soak the scarf or face mask in 20% vinegar and wash it in soapy hot water before drying it. Keep a number of scarves or face masks handy so that you have enough for everyday use.

2. Wash your hands frequently with regular soap & water

While most people are making a beeline for the hand sanitizer, they don’t realize that frequent handwashing with regular soap is the best way to prevent the spread of germs.

But does alcohol kill germs? Does rubbing alcohol kill bacteria on the skin, and does alcohol kill flu viruses? Yes, in fact, the CDC advises using a hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol if you cannot wash your hands, as it can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations.


Alcohol can kill viruses, including influenza and coronaviruses, by breaking down the lipid membrane surrounding the virus and inactivating it. However, viruses that lack this envelope, such as norovirus, may not be inactivated by alcohol.

Unfortunately, hand sanitizers don’t eliminate all types of germs, so don’t depend on them too much. Natural hand sanitizers made with ingredients such as essential oils and aloe, while good for your skin, cannot guarantee that they kill all germs and viruses.

Hand sanitizer dangers include alcohol poisoning from swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitizers, so don’t use hand sanitizer for kids as they’re likely to put their hands in their mouths. Also, avoid products that contain triclosan.

Instead, help your child understand the importance of covering their mouths and handwashing to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses with the children’s book, Germs Are Not for Sharing.


3. Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces daily

According to this article in the BBC, viruses like COVID-19 can be spread in tiny droplets released from the nose and mouth of an infected person as they cough.

Some studies on other coronaviruses, including SARS and MERS, found they can survive on metal, glass and plastic for as long as 9 days unless they are properly disinfected. Some can even hang around for up to 28 days in low temperatures.

According to the CDC, disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces daily is key in preventing COVID-19’s spread.

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How To Kill Bacteria And Viruses In The House

Want to know what kills viruses, how to kill flu viruses, and how to kill coronavirus on surfaces? There are many natural and eco-friendly ways to kill germs and viruses in the home by making use of natural disinfectants.

If you want to learn what kills germs and bacteria, what kills the flu virus, and how to kill the flu virus in houses, read on.

Use UV Light To Kill Germs

Does ultraviolet (UV) light kill germs? Yes, far-UVC germ-killing light kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria, including dangerous viruses like MRSA, H1N1 and Ebola, as well as drug-resistant bacteria within just a few seconds.

How does UV light kill germs? On the UV light spectrum, there are UV-A, B, and C lights, but UV-C is the light that kills germs.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions.

UVGI is already used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water purification. In fact, the medical and scientific community already know how to get rid of germs in the air with UV light and regularly use UV light to sterilize hospital rooms and labs.

In hospitals, UV-light-emitting robots zap operating rooms of all pathogens, and Boeing designed a prototype for a self-cleaning aeroplane bathroom that uses UV light to disinfect after each use.

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Scientific studies such as the paper, Far-UVC Light: A new tool to control the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases, have shown that far-UVC light efficiently inactivates flu viruses with about the same efficiency as conventional germicidal UV light and can be a very efficient virus killer.

According to the review article, Can UV Light Fight the Spread of Influenza? far-UVC light may offer a low-cost solution to eradicating airborne viruses in indoor public spaces.

Far-UVC light has a very limited range and cannot penetrate through the outer dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it’s not a human health hazard. But because viruses and bacteria are much smaller than human cells, far-UVC light can reach their DNA and kill them.

So if you want to know how to kill germs in the air, Far-UVC lights are the best natural germ killer as they are relatively inexpensive and are likely to be effective against all airborne microbes, even newly emerging strains.

This UV germ killer light can kill germs on practically any surface, even on porous surfaces. Today, you can buy a number of portable UV sanitizing devices that claim to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria and viruses. Here are some of them:

1. VANELC UV-Light Sanitizer Wand

If you want a germ-killing light device to kill viruses on surfaces, get the VANELC UV-Light Sanitizer Wand, a portable handheld Ultraviolet Disinfection Lamp that can kill can kill 99.99% harmful pathogens.

Just turn on the UV light and sweep the UV light wand across the surface or stuff you desire to clean. It makes the environment safe and clean in 9 seconds without damaging any surface, makes non-toxic, no residue, no odor, no secondary pollution.


The ultraviolet light wand comes with compact design and lightweight super convenient to store it in a backpack or suitcase for use while traveling and outings. Keep in mind that people, pets and plant can’t be exposed to the UV-C light for a long time, especially the eyes and skin.

2. UV Germicidal Lamps

Want to know how to get rid of germs in your house? Install an all-purpose UVC clean lamp in every room. You can use it to sterilize the bedroom, quilt, pillow, bath towel, bathroom, toilet, kitchen, HVAC duct, and more.

The UV Germicidal Lamp is available as a Compact 25W UVC Light Bulb or a 6W UV Linear Germicidal Lamp.


Note:  This device emits UVC light, not far-UVC light, and is harmful to people, pets and plants, so you must remove people, pets and plants from the room when this lamp is on. Also, turn off the bulb before approaching the room, do not look at the bulb when it is on and do not expose your eyes and skin to the UVC light.

3. UV Air Purifiers

There are a number of HEPA air purifiers that also use UV light to sanitize the air entering a room. Most of them are designed to kill airborne viruses and germs such as influenza, staph, rhinovirus, provide cleaner air and reduce household odors caused by bacteria, pets, and cooking fumes.


Here are some of the best HEPA air purifiers that use UV to kill disease-causing germs:

4. HoMedics UV-Clean Portable Sanitizer

The HoMedics UV-Clean Portable Sanitizer uses powerful UV-C LED technology to keep your most frequently used items clean and sanitized while at home or on the go with.

You can keep it in your purse, backpack, suitcase, gym bag, or diaper bag and use it to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses 10 times faster than any other sanitizer.


With 4 UV-C Germicidal LED’s at 18 cycles per charge, it completely surrounds your belongings for sanitizing and disinfecting both sides of your item in just 1 minute with rechargeable LED’s that last for thousands of uses.

The HoMedics UV-Clean Portable Sanitizer is designed to fit a variety of items such as keys, jewelry, eyeglasses, remotes, makeup brushes, and is a vacation and travel essential or great for use at home or the office.

5. HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer

The HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer will keep your phone clean by utilizing UV-C LED sanitizing technology. Transport it in your purse, backpack, suitcase or gym bag to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.

With 2 rechargeable LED’s that last for thousands of uses, the UV-C Germicidal LED’s at 70 cycles per charge completely surrounds your phone for optimal sanitizing in just 30 seconds per side.


The lighting position ensures maximum coverage and effectiveness and has an advanced safety lock to prevent UV exposure.

The HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer is designed to fit a variety of phone sizes including larger models like Google Pixel 3. Carry it on vacation or use at home or the office.

6. UV Light Sanitizer UV Sterilizer Box

The UV Light Sanitizer UV Sterilizer Box is a UV-C clean sterilizer and dryer capable of accommodating 12 baby bottles. It can also be used for CPAP, toys, clothes, toothbrushes, beauty tools, tableware and phones.


This UV Light Sanitizer is a do-it-all machine intended to be used in household, kitchen, hotels, care centers, beauty salons and kindergartens for baby products, adult and child’s intimate clothing, beauty tools, tableware and mobile phones.

Use Vinegar Instead Of Bleach

Does vinegar kill germs? The answer is yes! Vinegar can kill germs such as bacteria, viruses and yeast. Research has shown it can be effective against some bacteria and viruses, including the flu. However, it does not kill dangerous bacteria like staphylococcus.

Vinegar is also biodegradable and can also be used as a safer alternative to bleach for some applications, such as cleaning. Concentrated (20-30%) vinegar has been widely used to replace many harmful and expensive commercial cleaning products.


You can use vinegar to kill flu germs on fabric, so if you want a homemade counter cleaner that kills germs, 20% industrial strength white vinegar is the perfect natural disinfectant for cleaning and laundry.

Does Rubbing Alcohol Kill Germs?

Does rubbing alcohol kill germs? Yes, rubbing alcohol naturally kills bacteria and viruses, but experts don’t recommend using it to disinfect your home.

Although the CDC advises using an alcohol solution with at least 70% alcohol for disinfecting surfaces, the alcohol evaporates too quickly, and items really need to be submerged in isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes to do its thing.

Remember, that alcohol is highly flammable and storing a lot of it or using it too liberally can create a fire hazard. Also, remember not to mix these cleaning products.

Do not mix these cleaning products (Source)

Now that you know how to get rid of germs in the house, and more specifically, how to kill flu germs without using harmful chemicals, use these common-sense tips and best germ-killer technologies to stay safe at home and when you travel.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this web site is presented for the purpose of educating people. Nothing contained on this web site should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any healthcare-related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly. Always consult with your physician or other qualified health care provider before embarking on a new treatment, diet, or fitness program.

This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

17 Top Green Products And Green, Eco-Gadgets For Off-Grid Living

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Are you looking for sustainable, eco-friendly, green products so you can adopt environmentally-friendly practices for green living? Today, we’re facing an environmental crisis as most of the products we use at home are not environmentally friendly.

But, people are also more aware of the harmful effects of conventional gadgets over green technology-based gadgets, and anyone who wants to understand how does green technology help the environment will find a lot of information online.

There are many earth-friendly products and green eco-products being developed every day and you can use these inside and outside your off-grid or net-zero home to save money and energy.

In the previous post, we discussed the eco-friendly technology advantages of net-zero homes. In this post, we list the top eco-products and eco-friendly devices that will help you reduce carbon footprint, improve energy efficiency and choose environmentally-friendly alternatives.

17 Top Eco-Friendly Products & Eco-Gadgets For Green Living

What does environmentally-friendly mean? Eco-friendly or environmentally friendly products are those that do not harm the environment either when manufactured, used or discarded.

In this article, we list 17 of the best eco-friendly, go-green products and best eco-gadgets for the home as eco-friendly alternatives for green living.

1. The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot is a wonderful electric pressure cooker. It’s designed to be safer than stovetop pressure cookers but works just as well. It also uses a lot less energy than your stove.

This environmentally-friendly product won’t heat up the room and does its job super-fast, which means it uses much less energy. The Instant Pot is very popular in the summer due to how little heat it emits while cooking.


2. Soladey-3 Ionic SOLAR Toothbrush

It’s strange that a toothbrush needs to be energy efficient, but the Soladey-3 Ionic SOLAR Toothbrush is one such eco-gadget and it even powers up with light.

Since this go-green product uses ions to clean, you don’t even need to buy toothpaste anymore. That makes this eco-friendly electronic device a money saver and a time saver too.


3. Water-Saving, Dual Flush Toilet

Excellent use of environmental technology is to install a water-saving toilet, as in most households, they use the maximum amount of water. A water-saving toilet can make a huge impact on your water usage and bill.

You’ve heard the saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down.” With the dual flush toilet, you don’t have to do that.

It uses less water for the yellow stuff than the brown stuff, making it much more economical and environmentally friendly. Plus, you can also get a low-water, dual flush toilet.

The TOTO CST746CEMG#01 Drake Two-Piece Elongated Dual Flush Toilet generates a powerful cleansing flush while only using 1.28 gallons of water.

It also meets the standards for EPA WaterSense, and California’s CEC and CALGreen requirements and helps reduce the frequency of toilet cleanings, minimizing the use of harsh chemicals and water.


4. Compost Bin

Everyone needs a compost bin. What kind you buy depends on where you live and your situation. You can compost kitchen food waste right on the kitchen countertop with the ENLOY Stainless Steel, Odorless Compost Pail.


For outdoor composting, you can use this Garden Composter Bin made from recycled plastic. Even if you don’t personally need the soil that you create, you can give it away, or you can donate it to someone to use. You can also pour it into planters anywhere.


5. Solar Hot Water Heater

Even if you cannot afford everything to be solar, you can install a DIY evacuated tube solar water heater (also called a vacuum tube solar water heater or batch solar water heater).

It’s the most popular solar collector in the world because the evacuated tube solar water heater performs well even in cloudy and cold conditions and outperforms other collectors, giving you more consistent year-round heat.


6. Back-Yard Wind Turbine

If you live in an area where wind energy is plentiful, installing a backyard wind turbine is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. You can use the wind to power most, if not all, of your home.

You need wind speeds of at least 5 mph to generate enough electricity. Learn how to build a windmill with our DIY primer on wind power for homes or go ahead and buy the Automaxx Windmill Wind Turbine Generator kit.


7. Smart Power Strips

Did you know that when you keep everything plugged into the wall all the time, it uses more energy? Even if you turn the appliance off, it’s still using some energy when plugged in.

If you use a smart power strip, though, it has a standby mode which it will go into automatically when the appliance is in the off position. The only other way to save this much power is to unplug your appliances after use, every time.

With the Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip, you can independently control 6 smart outlets, and charge 3 devices with built-in USB ports. This eco-friendly electronic product is ideal for controlling electronics in your home and monitoring how much energy your devices consume.

You can check on each device from your Kasa smart app and remotely turn off ones that are using too much power using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Microsoft Cortana voice commands.


8. Sense Home Energy Monitor

If you have a solar energy system in your home, the Sense Home Energy Monitor will help you make the most of your solar investment.

This innovative eco-friendly product will tell you if you’re using more power than you’re generating or if you’re scheduling your EV to charge when your solar outputs the highest.

The Sense Home Energy Monitor gives you a powerful dashboard to monitor your power use and solar production in real-time, with cost calculations, built right in.

It connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network and then reports your real-time and historical energy use and solar generation to your iOS/Android device and the Sense Web App.

The Sense Home Energy Monitor measures solar production and analyzes changes in current and voltage one million times per second, giving you insights into your solar production and power consumption with unprecedented accuracy.

You can compare overlayed graphs of your production to usage and ensure you’re making the most of your solar investment.


9. Programmable Thermostat

One problem with heating and cooling your net-zero home is having to turn the heat or air up or down manually to control the atmosphere.

With a programmable thermostat, like the Honeywell Home RTH9585WF1004 Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat, you can avoid these problems by setting it up to make the temperature constant throughout the day depending on the time of day.

This 7-day programmable, touch screen, Energy-Star, Alexa-ready device will save you a lot of money and make you comfortable at home.


10. Solar Trees

Solar trees are a cool, eco-friendly product that incorporates solar energy technology on a single pillar, like a tree trunk, either in the form of a solar artwork or a functional power generator.


Solar trees use a wide variety of arrangements of solar panels to power a few things. A small, portable version of the solar tree with its “trunk” capable of being jabbed into the soft ground can go with you to the beach and charge devices like your cell phone.

Large solar trees save space to allow more panels to exist in a confined area, so theoretically, a solar tree that occupies four square meters of space can produce the same energy that would otherwise have required 400 square meters.

Another recent green technology innovation is the SmartFlower, an intelligent “sunflower” that will “bloom” to produce clean solar energy.

By tracking the sun from east to west, this green, environmentally-friendly technology aims to be more efficient than regular solar panels.

11. Reusable Shopping Bag

Although some stores now charge for bags for your groceries, others expect you to bring your own bags or will sell you cloth bags that are washable and can be reused many times.

Using reusable cloth bags for your shopping can cut down tremendously on plastic waste, so much of which winds up in our oceans. It’s best to store these bags in your car, so they’re always available.


12. Water-Efficient Shower Head

Conserving water starts by using shower heads designed for high efficiency. You can install the ANZA Water-Saving Massage Rain High-Pressure Shower Head or wait for EvaDrop, the world’s first smart shower device that claims to save up to 50% of your water.


The EvaDrop advance sensor system allows you to set your temperature preferences, automatically adjusts water flow customized by you and automatically shuts off the water when your desired temperature is reached.

If it does everything it promises, it could be one of the best eco-products you can install in your off-grid home.

13. Eco-Friendly Pest Control

Biological pest control is about controlling garden pests the natural way by using natural predators to get rid of them. These eco-friendly techniques are the safest way to rid your garden of pests without using harmful pesticides.


The Natural Enemies Handbook is a comprehensive guide to biological control agents. It will help you identify and understand the biology of predators, parasites, pathogens, competitors, and antagonists that help control specific insect, pathogen, nematode, or weed pests.

Another eco-friendly pest control method is the Solar Animal Repeller, a humane way to repel rodents, ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, mosquitoes, flies and spiders.


The high-frequency sounds emitted by this humane animal repellent for gardens will stray deer repellent for plants, cat repellent for outdoors, rabbit repellent, dog repellent for lawns, and skunk repellent.

If you have a problem with weeds in your garden, watch the video below to learn how to make homemade, environmentally-friendly weed killer using salt, vinegar and dish soap.

14. Environmentally-Friendly Paper Alternatives

Our use of immense amounts of paper is responsible for deforestation and waste generation on a global scale.

One way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use the best environmentally-friendly products made from environmentally-friendly paper alternatives like bamboo and bagasse (sugarcane) instead of paper.


NooTrees Bamboo Bathroom Tissue is made with 100% biodegradable and renewable bamboo pulp and is environmentally friendly right from the core to the outer packaging.


Instead of using paper plates at your next picnic use the disposable Tree-Free Eco-Picnic Pack from Earth’s Natural Alternative made of compostable wheat straw fibre and bagasse.

15. Environmentally-Friendly Packaging

The use of disposable and single-use plastic packaging has created a waste problem of gargantuan proportions, polluting the oceans, killing wildlife, sea life and poisoning even our food supply with microplastics.

If you want to do your part to minimize plastic waste, consider using environmentally-friendly packagings such as eco-friendly, reusable Beeswax Food Wraps and Silicone Storage Bags to store produce, meat, cheese and snacks.


You can also use environmentally-friendly materials such as these washable, food-safe, reusable, Multipurpose Cloth Bags to store food and sandwiches.


Hopefully, environmentally-friendly plastic alternatives will soon become widely available, like this biodegradable plastic bag made of Cassava/Tapioca that is probably one of the most eco-friendly products ever created.

Other new eco-friendly products that help the environment include MarinaTex, a compostable alternative to current single-use plastic made from waste products like fish scales and skin.

Another environmentally-friendly packaging innovation is a styrofoam packaging replacement created from agricultural waste and mushroom fibres.

16. Green Cleaning Products

For hundreds of years, humans used eco-friendly cleaning products such as vinegar, lemon and soda bicarbonate.

However, today’s conventional cleaning products contain harmful chemicals like bleach, ammonia and chlorine that are not safe to use around children and pets. They also pollute the environment and our water supply with toxic chemicals.


With the realization of the harmful effects, environmentally-friendly cleaning products are coming back into fashion. Here are some of the green cleaning products available.

Also, check out the video below for some eco-friendly cleaning recipes for homemade cleaning products and detergent.

17. Green Or Solar Lighting

LED bulbs are among the most energy-efficient lighting systems because they require on average one-tenth the power to run than an incandescent bulb, produce less heat.

They also last longer and come with a 5-year warranty, but you’ll have to save the receipts or boxes to be able to use it.


LED light bulbs are rapidly becoming the norm as their prices have reduced to make them more affordable, so there’s no excuse not to replace your incandescent and CFL bulbs with green LED lights in your home.

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs can be more efficient than LED, but they degrade faster, suffer from energy loss over time and need replacing more often. Also, they contain harmful materials such as mercury while the LED bulbs only have minute amounts of “doped silicon”.

For outdoor landscape lighting in your yard, garden, driveway, pathway or pool, you can get the InnoGear Solar Lights that are waterproof and heatproof.


Now that you’ve read all about the eco-tech and latest eco-friendly products you can use in your off-grid homes, which best-selling eco-friendly products will you incorporate into your life?

How Eco-Tech Can Help You Create Net-Zero Or Zero-Carbon Homes

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Opting for eco-tech or green technology for the home is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. So if you care about the environment, you must make an environmentally-conscious choice to choose eco-friendly products and eco-friendly technology for your home.

What is eco-friendly technology? It can be defined as environmentally-friendly technology that does not harm the environment and uses renewable energy sources to function. Environmental technology is also known as eco-tech, sustainable technology, or green technology.

When considering using different types of green technology in your net-zero home, not only do you have to consider the environmental impact of your house, but also the impact of renovating or redecorating an older home to make it more eco-friendly.

What Is A Net-Zero House Or Zero-Carbon Home?

Whether you choose to call them net-zero homes, zero-carbon homes, zero-energy homes, or carbon-neutral homes, it’s an exciting possibility to consider building an eco-friendly, net-zero house to reduce your carbon footprint.


But what is a zero-energy home and is there such a thing as a zero-carbon home? Well, not really. The term, zero-carbon, is used to describe very energy-efficient, low-carbon homes and is used interchangeably with zero-energy housing.

Although such eco-houses are not absolutely zero carbon emission, these sustainable homes are known as net-zero or having a neutral impact on carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.

So, while zero-carbon house design is something to aspire to, you may not be able to build an energy-neutral home or carbon-neutral home right now as the current green technology does not support building a zero-carbon home or zero-emission house.

Why Zero-Carbon Homes Are More Than Just An “Eco” Home

An off-the-grid home must be very energy efficient to run lighting and appliances on a continuous basis. Zero-carbon homes are built to reduce carbon footprint and contribute much less carbon than a standard energy-efficient eco-home or eco-house.

But for an off-grid house to be more than just an eco-home and warrant the net-zero house label, it must deal with the carbon it does emit so as not to impact the atmosphere.


While renewable energy from solar and wind is the best way to reduce carbon footprint, not all net-zero homes require it. A net-zero home will always incorporate energy efficiency and have some sort of passive solar system.

Zero carbon house design plans only count the emissions from climate control, ventilation, and lighting, while the house is occupied, toward the net-zero standard.

As the standard for the zero carbon footprint is focused exclusively on the quality of the house, human activity with cooking and plug-in appliances are excluded when calculating the carbon credit.

If you’re building an off-grid home, carbon-neutral house plans are a great starting point as the net-zero passive solar features will give you a head start.


Renewable energy solutions can provide additional carbon offset to run your gadgets and appliances, reducing the costs of running your net-zero energy home.

What Are The Laws Around Net-Zero Homes?

Some places, such as the UK, have enacted laws to combat climate change requiring zero carbon building design for all newly built homes. In the US, California requires all new homes to have solar panels.

Depending on where you live, you should check whether you need to use zero-carbon technology if you plan on building your own home. The style of house you buy or build can vary, but using the zero-carbon design is a good start in building carbon-neutral cities.

Even if you don’t achieve a zero-carbon house, building a carbon-neutral home will get easier as new eco-technology becomes available. In some areas, you can even sell excess energy back to the electric company and make money from your zero-carbon house.

4 Advantages Of Using Eco-Friendly Technology In Your Home

Is the cost of redecorating with green, environment-friendly materials worth it? Is the environmentally-friendly solution to just continue using the products you have? Do enough green, eco-friendly products exist to make it worthwhile?

Whether you have an older home or are getting ready to build a new one off the grid, there are many benefits to making your home as eco-friendly as possible. To do this, you need to know how does technology affect the environment.

Read about the advantages of using eco-friendly technology in your net-zero home, and learn about some cool green technology examples to use in your zero-carbon home.

1. You’ll Leave a Smaller Carbon Footprint

One of the first things to consider is how you can reduce your carbon footprint, which is the damage your existence causes to the ecology and environment. All of us consume resources and impact the environment, by our mere existence, even if we try not to.

However, if you actively seek to make your home more eco-friendly, you can help reduce your carbon footprint and even create a carbon-neutral home by your environmentally friendly actions.

2. You’ll Save Water

Saving precious water resources is not only good for the environment but also good for your bank account. One of the best examples of green technology products is a water-saving showerhead that reduces water use, yet makes it seem like you have the best water pressure.


When you do something as simple as installing green technology products such as the ANZA Water-Saving Massage Rain High-Pressure Shower Head, you can save as much as one-third of the water you would normally use without losing out on the comfort and convenience you desire.

3. Your Home Environment Will Be Greener And Healthier

When you seek to purchase and use eco-friendly or green products, you’ll find that they tend to pollute your environment less, and are much less likely to off-gas or cause problems in your environment.

Plus, a lot of top eco-tech products have lower maintenance costs and your home will be low-maintenance due to having more durable and fewer throwaway products.

4. You Can Increase Your Property Value

If you plan to resell your property, it’s important to upgrade your house with the best green living technologies and eco-gadgets for the home.

Small changes such as environmentally-friendly windows, eco-friendly appliances, environmentally-friendly bathroom, water-saving showerheads can add a lot of value in the eyes of a home buyer.

For example, an on-demand water heater can save a ton of money, but it’s also a selling point that you never run out of hot water. Most buyers will be looking for energy efficiency with eco-green technologies, and if you have it and the neighbour doesn’t, your house will be a more attractive option.


These are all good reasons to outfit your house with the latest green technology products. You may have to invest some money to build a new energy-efficient home, but in the end, it’ll be worth it to you and to anyone who might want to buy your home in the future.  Read on for some renewable energy options for your eco-friendly, green home.

Renewable Energy Options for Your Home

If you’re trying to cut your utility bill or supplement your electrical supply, renewable energy is a great way to go. Solar and wind are the most popular renewable energy solutions to power your off-grid home.

Solar energy systems combined with batteries or a hybrid wind-solar power DIY off-grid kit are the most popular renewable energy options and usually the first thing you’d think of when considering green energy solutions.

In some areas, a micro-hydro generator or turbine can also be used and if you have an option to use geothermal energy in your home, you can create hot water and steam to generate electricity.

You can even add it to an existing home, but you may have to replace your furnace with a geothermal system.

How To Generate Electricity and Store It for Later

Many recreational vehicle (RV) owners use solar storage systems in combination with solar panels so they can camp for extended periods without plugging into any additional power.

RVs have an advantage in that that their lighting systems may be a 12V DC system, which allows the owners to power their lights without the need for using a power-robbing 110V inverter.

As a homeowner, you have more options with storage capacity because you can use a Powerwall battery system. These batteries are the perfect green technology examples of new eco-tech and are available from some manufacturers such as Tesla, Goal Zero, AED Land, Somerset and Schneider.

Powerwalls are made up of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, with some using active cooling. The Tesla Powerwall costs $6,700, and installation is not cheap.

Some battery types were designed for short power outage situations and will give you something like the service from a portable generator and will be relatively cheap, like the Goal Zero Yeti 1400.

Others are intended for actual off-the-grid residential power service and cost considerably more. You should choose a battery storage system based on what your usage and requirements are.


New Eco-Tech Does Pay Off

We cannot underestimate the importance of new green technology and eco-friendly inventions, especially in the field of energy storage. With ever-increasing improvements in battery storage and efficiency of solar panels, many new green tech products are being developed.

Some environmentally-friendly innovative products, such as Tesla’s Solarglass Roofs, have the potential to completely disrupt and revolutionize the solar energy industry, so it helps to stay abreast of new eco-friendly technology being developed by environmentally-friendly companies.

As of now, solar panels combined with batteries are the best green renewable energy solution for off-grid homes and those who have already opted to install renewable energy systems and finding them to be cost-effective in the long run.

Of course, it also helps to use green appliances and eco-friendly technology products that will help cut down on your power consumption and conserve energy, even if your off-grid home is powered with solar energy systems.

If you can reduce the power drawn by your appliances, this will lower the need for more solar capacity and save money on energy generation.


How To Choose Greener Gadgets And Appliances

Finding greener gadgets and appliances is a lot simpler today than it used to be. It’s much easier to find energy-efficient appliances and lighting.

Most eco-friendly electronics or green appliances carry the energy-efficient seal even when they seem high-powered. So opting for green technology over conventional electronics is no longer too inconvenient or too expensive.

Environmentally-Friendly Electronic Products Work Faster

As you’re charged for the electricity you use by the watt-hour, energy-efficient appliances that cook food faster or cool your home in less time, while consuming the same amount of power, are consuming less energy.

For example, the time required to heat food in a microwave is a fraction of the time needed for heating in a conventional oven. That’s why microwave ovens are considered energy efficient, even though they require considerable power to operate.

Induction cooktops are even more energy-efficient as about 90% of the heat generated reaches the food, whereas the standard stovetop loses heat to the surrounding air.


New Eco-Gadgets Need Energy Star Certification

When choosing your new eco-gadgets or environmentally-friendly electronic products, make sure they’re Energy Star certified. This certification is a trusted symbol of energy efficiency as rated from A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient technology.

Understand the yearly costs to run your green appliances so you can estimate which ones will save energy as well as money.

Buy Refrigerators and Ovens With Good Insulation

When choosing your green technology gadgets and appliances, keep in mind that a self-cleaning oven will have extra insulation because of the high temperatures required for cleaning.

The better-insulated an oven is, the less heat it loses to its surroundings and more evenly it bakes than conventional ovens. In a refrigerator with better-insulated walls, the refrigeration pumps cycle fewer times.


Dishwashers with added insulation are also good examples of eco-friendly technology because they keep water hot throughout the cleaning cycle, besides the benefit of noise reduction.

How To Choose Energy-Efficient Vacuum Cleaners & Washers

Vacuum cleaners also consume a lot of energy, often drawing as much power as a room air conditioner. Today, many washers use detergents marked HE for high efficiency because it creates fewer suds, requires less water and less power to clean clothes. This, in turn, reduces utility costs.

A higher current draw is not necessarily a good indication of cleaning power, and the more the power, the more energy it consumes. Instead, check the efficacy of the product, the energy rating and yearly operating cost before you buy any greener tech.


You don’t have to buy the most expensive eco-friendly innovations if you want to save energy and money. The best eco-gadgets are ones that are easy to use and get the job done without consuming too much energy.

Now that you have understood what is eco-technology and seen the impact of green technology on the environment, how will you use eco-friendly tech to build your net-zero home?

10 DIY Solar Panel Installation Guides For Installing Your Own Solar Power System

This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

Are you looking to buy solar panels for home use so you can install your own solar panels in your home to save thousands of dollars on electricity bills? Can you install your own solar panels?

Even if you’re a hands-on person who prefers doing things yourself, you need to learn about solar panel configuration, how to connect solar panels, how to wire solar panels, build a DIY solar power generator and more.

Installing your own solar power system is no easy task, but if you’re ready to power everything – from your devices to your home – with a renewable energy source like solar energy, these solar installation guides are for you.

Installing the best solar panels for home use can get expensive because of professional solar installation fees rather than the actual cost of the equipment you need.

In fact, there are plenty of solar power installation options available and the mainstream installers tend to offer good deals – they just cost a lot more than most people are willing to pay.

So, how can you install solar panels yourself? After all, why spend thousands of dollars paying someone for solar power installation when these DIY solar panel guides can show you how to build your own solar power system.

10 DIY Solar Panel Installation Guides

If you want to reduce your energy bills, save money, find a way to live greener and start doing your bit for the environment, these DIY solar panel installation guides will give you a great head start.

Learning how to install solar panels yourself is no longer complicated or difficult with these DIY solar installation guides.

1. DIY Solar Panel Guide

Solar power is extremely popular at the moment and a lot of people are trying to find ways to reduce their energy bills. The problem is, installing solar panels can be extremely expensive – unless you have a DIY Solar Panel Guide.

With easy step-by-step instructions and a simple and easy-to-follow format, the DIY Solar Panel Guide is great for anyone who wants to learn how to install solar panels but doesn’t know where to start.

Safety is also a big thing that other guides tend to skip but the DIY Solar Panel Guide makes sure that you understand the risks and the things to look out for so that your small solar panels for home use are safely and properly installed.

If you want to save a huge amount of money on installation fees then the DIY Solar Panel Guide is a great solar panel installation PDF guide to start with.


2. The Ultimate Solar Power Design Guide

The book ‘Ultimate Solar Power Design Guide – Less Theory, More Practice’ is the missing guide for proven simple fast design of solar electricity systems for your home, off-grid house, business, boat, vehicle or other outdoor activities.

What is more, this solar installation guide is written by experts especially for beginners and professionals alike. When learning how to buy and fit your own solar panels, proper sizing of a solar system is very important.

The final goal of learning to make your own DIY solar system is to come up with a cost-effective, efficient and reliable solar panel system for your home, RV vehicle, boat or business – a solar system that squeezes the maximum possible power for every cent invested.


3. Solar & 12 Volt Power For Beginners

Even if you know nothing about 12-volt power and solar panels, this DIY solar panel installation guide will help you go from complete beginner knowing nothing to seasoned off-grid expert in a couple of days if not sooner.

Learn how to power laptops, TV’s, fans, power tools, DVD’s, music, mobile phones and so much more straight from the do-it-yourself solar power system you just built thanks to this book.


4. How To Install Solar Power

Installing solar power used to be complicated – until now. Author, Mike Holsworth, breaks down what you need to do in order to install solar power in a cost-effective way.

Whether you have a house, RV, camper, or boat, he discusses it all in this solar panel setup guide, so you can buy and install the best DIY solar panels for your needs.


5. Off-Grid And Mobile Solar Power For Everyone

A straight to the point step-by-step guide showing you in layman terms how to choose your solar equipment, design and install your solar system to become a proud builder and owner of an efficient and cost-effective off-grid solar power system.

This book will help you build your efficient and cost-effective off-grid solar electric system for your home, cabin, cottage or lodge and mobile solar power system for your RV, van, motor home, car or boat.

It will show you how to design and quickly install the solar power system you always dream of.


6. Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make

The book “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make” is a simple and practical guide on solar panels for beginners.

It can save you a lot of money, headaches and time during the planning, buying, implementation, and operation phase of your solar power system.


7. Solar Power for Your Home (Green Guru Guides)

Featuring step-by-step instructions and useful photos and illustrations, this hands-on solar installation guide is filled with solar energy solutions you can put to use right away.

Solar Power for Your Home shows you how to set up a variety of simple, money-saving solar projects quickly and easily, such as a solar water heater, a solar pool pump, solar lighting, a solar oven–and even a solar-powered lawnmower.


8. Solar Power Autonomy DIY

Learn how to avoid falling for traps that will cost you a lot of money in this DIY solar panels guide.

You’ll learn how to choose the right equipment, how to make necessary calculating for estimating the system, how to set up the system, and maximize energy production, maintenance the batteries, install solar panels and much more.


9. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power for Your Home

The third edition of this DIY solar panel guide helps readers understand the basics of solar (photovoltaic) power and explore whether it makes sense for them, what their options are, and what’s involved with installing various on- and off-grid systems.


10. DIY RV Solar Power

This book is about using solar in your RV, boat, van, or something along those lines. Mobility, remoteness, and high power requirements are the three elements they have in common.

It turns out these elements make a significant difference when it comes to the things you have to consider, how you go about installation, the equipment that is needed, and the way you use and maintain it.


I hope you found these solar power setup guides useful. In the Free How To Go Green course, you’ll be able to download some solar energy books PDFs.

Enjoy reading these solar panel setup guides and setting up your DIY solar power system!

Wind Power For Homes: Learn How To Build A Windmill

For thousands of years, humans have been asking the question, “How to build a windmill?” Wind-powered water pumps and grain mills were used by the Persians in A.D. 500-900 and by the Chinese in A.D. 1200 for pumping water and grinding corn.

Renewable energy sources like wind energy and wind power were used to power windmills designed to generate electricity (also known as wind turbines) for hundreds of years. These were especially popular in Denmark at the end of the 19th century (1890).

With the development of the internal combustion engine, availability of coal, cheap oil and electrical grids, wind power became almost obsolete until air pollution and dire warnings of climate change brought it back into use.

What Is Wind Power?

Wind power or wind energy is the use of wind to power wind turbines and generate electricity that can either be used to power devices or stored in a battery.

In a wind turbine, two or three rotor blades are linked to the shaft of an electricity generator and the wind spins the blades, turning the generator that produces electricity.

By the end of 2018, the overall capacity of all wind turbines installed worldwide reached 597 Gigawatt. In the future, renewable wind energy could supply a large part of our electricity.

At the moment wind power supplies less than 1% of all electrical power, but scientists estimate that half of the electricity needs in the United States could actually be met by wind power.

Wind farms flourish in places where the wind is the strongest, such as in North Dakota and California. Because wind farms take up large tracts of land, they can be installed on land that is used for farming as well.

While erecting a wind farm there are a number of things to be considered, including wind speed and consistency of wind. Offshore wind farms have great potential because strong winds blow more consistently out in the ocean and the open waters prove an excellent location for wind turbines.

State incentives have encouraged small wind systems to flourish, and the impetus for renewable wind power to flourish will likely come from rebates or incentives provided to those who invest in it.

At the moment you can only make use of these incentives if you’re in California, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but more states are being added all the time.

The Advantages Of Wind Power

Wind power is one of the best sources of natural energy other than solar energy. There are a number of benefits that renewable wind energy has over fossil fuels.

  • Wind power is a free and inexhaustible natural resource

The fact that wind energy is a free, inexhaustible and renewable energy source has made it one of the best and most popular renewable energy solutions.

As the wind is going to keep blowing for all of eternity, we don’t have to worry that we’re going to run out of wind anytime soon. The same can’t be said about fossil fuels.

Electric power from wind is cheaper than power from gas and nuclear plants. The maximum cost of wind energy is due to the initial wind turbine costs and the cost of wind turbine installation.

The only other costs are maintenance and operational costs as wind turbines need to be checked and oiled regularly to maintain wind turbine efficiency.

  • Wind power is non-polluting

Unlike electricity generated by fossil fuels, wind energy does not generate any pollution or greenhouse gases whatsoever (except in the manufacture and installation of wind turbines and wind generators).

In fact, wind power helps us reduce the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, and once a wind farm is installed there are no additional greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Wind power is good for the economy

Investing in wind power could provide a major boost to the economy by creating an abundance of new, well-paying wind power jobs.

Other new enterprises tied to the adoption of wind energy are businesses that offer windmill kits for sale, such as DIY wind turbine kits, and publications on how to build a wind turbine.


The Disadvantages Of Wind Power

Although there are many benefits of wind energy, it does have some major disadvantages as well, mostly because of issues caused by wind farms.

  • Wind farms cause noise pollution

The biggest disadvantage of wind energy is the noise that wind farms create because a wind farm requires not just one wind turbine in a field but hundreds or even thousands of wind turbines making a huge amount of noise.

Commercial wind turbines make so much noise that they’re often compared to the noise that a jet plane makes. With wind energy, you may avoid environmental pollution but you’re stuck with noise pollution instead.

  • The wind is an unpredictable source of energy

Another of the other major disadvantages of wind power is the fact that wind can never be predicted. One day you’ll strong winds blowing while on other days there could be nary a gust.

Since the availability of wind energy depends on the weather which is not easy to predict, it’s not a good idea to depend solely on the wind as a source of power.

Instead, investing in wind and solar kits, such as a wind turbine solar panels hybrid system will allow you to harvest energy from both solar and wind power and use it to charge an off-grid battery system.


  • Wind turbine installation is expensive

If you get plenty of wind in your area and want to set up a wind farm on your property, you’ll find that the wind turbine prices and wind turbine installation can be pretty expensive.

Also, you have to get government and land consents to build your wind farm. A better option might be to install a domestic wind turbine or home wind turbine on your property, depending on how much space you have.

The good thing about wind power is that after the initial residential wind turbine cost, you’ll be able to cut down on your utility bill significantly and spend very little on maintenance.

If you’re looking for off-grid power solutions, wind power is a very good source of energy as long as you have a sustained wind speed of at least 6 to 9 MPH to make it viable.

If you want to learn whether your location can support a wind power system, read the book, Build Your Own Small Wind Power System.

How To Build A Windmill   

When you learn how to build a windmill you’ll be able to get off the grid and tap into an inexhaustible and free source of energy. But before you get started on building your own windmill you need to understand how does wind power work.

You must spend some time understanding the technology of wind power and what a windmill actually does. These books can help you get up to speed:


The wind is converted into electricity with the help of a windmill or wind turbine that has a number of blades attached to the shaft of an electricity generator. The wind spins the blades around and this generates electricity.

Now it’s time to find out how to build a windmill. Unless you’re an electrician and can build the motor for the windmill out of recycled materials from a scrap metal yard, you’ll have to buy the motor for the windmill.

If you want to DIY it and learn how to do it yourself, you can get started with a Wind Power Science Kit that will show you how to assemble a wind turbine complete with electric generator and adjustable rotor blades.


You can even conduct experiments to optimize the performance of your wind turbine by adjusting the angle of the blades.

Once you’ve purchased a motor for your windmill, invest in some good oil because the motor in your windmill will require regular maintenance to run efficiently.


The oil is usually not very expensive and comes in two-gallon containers for approximately $20.

When learning how to build a windmill, keep in mind that you need sufficient space to carve the blades, especially if you want to build a decent size windmill.

Many DIY hobbyists find it difficult to get all the materials together when learning how to build a windmill, so a number of DIY wind power kits or windmill kits have been patented and developed to make it easier to get all the materials you need.


For most people this is the best option for building a windmill, as it’s much easier, you’ll get a better result and end up spending less time searching for the materials to build your windmill.

The book we recommend to help you with this is 40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead: A Hands-On, Step-By-Step Sustainable-Living Guide, which provides details on how to use home wind turbine kits to build your windmill.


If you don’t like the idea of using a windmill kit and prefer building your own from scratch we recommend buying a book that shows you how to build a windmill step-by-step, like How To Build A Micro Wind Turbine.

This book is a practical manual full of pictures, plans, tables and comments to learn how to build a 100W wind turbine and 6-metre tower from scratch, for less than $250.


Wind energy is becoming one of the best off-grid power options to generate electricity in your own backyard and soon everybody will want a small windmill to help them cut down on their utility bills.

If you do know how to make windmills and enjoy the process, you could start up your own home windmill power business or sell residential windmill kits and tap into the booming wind power industry which is on track to become a $1 trillion business.

How To Build A DIY Evacuated Tube Solar Water Heater

Want to learn how to make a DIY evacuated tube solar water heater? You’ll not only save electricity with a solar water heater but also reduce your carbon footprint as solar energy is carbon neutral.

Solar water heaters have been around for hundreds of years and the first patent for a commercial solar water heater was issued in 1891.

Learning how to build a solar water heater is not difficult given that there are lots of solar water heater plans available online. The key is to find a DIY solar water heater kit that works for you.

Solar water heating is a process that involves the conversion of sunlight into heat, which is then used to heat water using a solar thermal collector. Solar hot water systems are capable of produce clean, non-polluting, renewable energy.

A single hot water system can offset the equivalent of approximately 40% of the CO2 emissions of a modern passenger car. That means a solar water heater is safe for the environment, safe for plants, safe for animals and safe for all of us.

If you’re looking for a way to make your own solar water heater so you can reduce your energy bills, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, you’ll learn about solar hot water heating systems for homes and learn how to build your own residential solar water heater using a DIY solar hot water heater system.

Image by Energy2014 – Own work, CC BY 3.0

What is an Evacuated Tube Solar Water Heater?

The evacuated tube solar water heater (also called a vacuum tube solar water heater or batch solar water heater) is the most popular solar collector in the world because it performs well even in cloudy and cold conditions.

The evacuated tube solar water heater outperforms other collectors under less than ideal conditions, giving you more consistent year-round heat.

Evacuated tube collectors (ETC) are a way to reduce heat loss. The water piped into a batch solar water heater is surrounded by two concentric tubes of glass separated by a vacuum. This lets in heat from the sun to heat the pipe, but limits heat loss, thereby increasing its efficiency.

The vacuum life in this solar-powered hot water heater can vary from 5 years to 15 years depending on the collector.

The only downside is that the evacuated tube solar water heater is made out of annealed glass, which is susceptible to hail.

But, as far as solar hot water systems go, this passive solar water heater is one of the best solar water heaters in terms of design.

Because of their tubular shape, an evacuated tube solar water heater can gather energy from the sun all day long at low angles and is more useful than other solar collectors during winter when the sun is low in the sky.

An evacuated tube solar water heater can operate at a range of temperatures from medium to high and can be used for solar hot waters, solar pool heaters, air-conditioning and solar cookers.

Image by Mmz.alonso – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

DIY Solar Water Heater

A solar water heater poses no threat to the operation of your existing water heater. In fact, installing a solar water heating system can prolong the life of your conventional water heater.

In this video, you’ll learn all the solar water heater information you need to build, install and use your own evacuated tube solar water heater and reduce your electricity bill.

When used in addition to your existing water heater, a solar water heater tank reduces the need to artificially heat water. By following the step-by-step instructions in this video, you’ll be able to build and install your own DIY evacuated tube solar water heater.

All the raw materials for your DIY solar water heating kit cost less than $70 and are easy to find at your local hardware store. Making a solar water heater has never been this easy with these detailed solar hot water heater plans.

Of course, you can always get an evacuated tube solar water heater for sale online, but for some people, this solar hot water system cost can be prohibitive.

When you follow the step-by-step instructions in this DIY Solar Water Heater video, you’ll be able to build your own homemade solar collector and install your solar water heating system for home use.

So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce your energy bills and create your very own solar hot water heater, watch the DIY Solar Water Heater video above.

Public Domain Image

In an age where man-made climate change is becoming a reality, solar energy systems can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

There are many solar hot water heaters for sale online, but building your own solar hot water system is the perfect project for your off-grid home.

Why buy a solar water heater when you can make your own solar-powered water heater and forget about solar water heater prices and costs.

The DIY Solar Water Heater video above will show you how to assemble your solar hot water system and set up your very own evacuated tube solar water heater.

How To Choose The Best Solar Energy System For Your Off-Grid Home

This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

Solar energy is fast becoming one of the more promising renewable technologies in the energy industry. With a growth rate of 2% per year, solar energy systems are likely to soon become the preferred source of energy worldwide.

In our previous article, we discussed the benefits of renewable energy solutions. One of the best natural sources of energy is the sun, and solar energy solutions are one of the best green energy technologies to power your off-grid home.

One of the primary advantages of solar energy is that the sun is able to provide over 10,000 times more than the energy that our planet is able to produce, so the solar energy business is booming worldwide.

But don’t take my word for it. Check these solar energy figures and statistics and see for yourself if whether solar energy is indeed everything that it’s being made out to be.

Are Solar Energy Solutions Financially Viable?

One of the main factors that you would consider when choosing renewable energy solutions is whether it is financially viable or not. Like most renewable energy systems, solar energy has its advantages and disadvantages.

While your solar power system costs and installation costs can be quite significant initially, getting a solar energy system for your home or workplace would actually help you save money on your utility bills annually.

In fact, installing solar thermal systems would allow you to recover the total cost within 5 years of installation, with 15 years for photovoltaic panels, after which, you can enjoy the benefits of reduced costs for your energy consumption.

How Does Solar Energy Reduce The Cost Of Energy Consumption?

Studies have shown that using certain solar energy systems do reduce the total cost of energy consumption that your home or workplace might incur.

If done right, you can actually lower your annual utility bill by as much as 80%, which is very significant, especially if you are trying to find ways to save some money.

Also, some programs allow users of solar energy systems to sell back energy or electricity that they were not able to consume, to the utility provider giving you even more ways to save money.


Do Sunny Areas Have More Solar Energy Systems?

Although the ideal location to place solar energy power plants to harness sunlight would be in locations that have a hot and sunny climate, some places that don’t have a hot climate are known to have more solar panels.

Denmark, Holland and most of northern Europe claim they have more solar panels than the UK, so you don’t necessarily need a hot climate in order to enjoy the benefits of solar energy.

Solar Energy Advantages & Disadvantages

The advantages of solar energy continue to grow but there are disadvantages for those who do not understand how to use solar energy in their home.

It is important to weigh the potential of having your own solar equipment. You should consider the devices you need to power, your location, and budget.

Here are 5 questions you need to ask if you’re planning on installing a solar power system or figuring out which solar panels to install.

1. How Much Solar Energy Do You Get?

The good thing about solar energy is that it can be used anytime or as long as the sun is shining. You can get the power you need day-in and day-out.

But you do have to consider your current location. Are there a lot of clouds or does it rain or snow frequently? How much sunlight do you get per day?

Places that get at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight per day do well with a solar energy system. So if you live in a tropical area or desert regions you should be able to rely on solar panels.

Of course, you need to determine the angle of the sun to know which spots are most ideal for installation. Solar power is a renewable resource which means you don’t have to pay any bills or keep replacing parts to get the results you need.

The disadvantage, in terms of availability, is that you cannot harvest solar energy if there’s no sunlight, nor can you rely on solar power at night or in places that tend to be overcast or have very little sunlight for several months.

Some locations are ideal for installing solar cell panels, while those that experience very long winter months may not get the best results from solar energy and may have to consider using other types of alternative energy or renewable energy solutions.

If you live in such a location, you may have to invest in a Hybrid Wind Solar Power DIY Off-Grid Kit or you may do better with an electrical or battery source such as a Tesla Powerwall Home Energy Storage Battery to ensure 24/7 power availability.

2. How Much Area Does Your Solar Power Plant Need?

Most, if not all, solar power plants require a certain amount of land area in order to house all the solar panels, solar generator and a solar battery that these power plants need in order to properly harness and collect sunlight and solar energy.

Depending on the solar panel size, the space you require for your solar-powered generator and the solar energy output needed, each solar power plant’s land area would vary.

3. What Devices Do You Need To Power?

Today, solar energy can power anything from homes, offices and cars to small light fixtures, toys and calculators. You can rely on the sun to help you minimize utility and electric bills.

You can even see a number of vehicles now solely powered by the sun. The disadvantage is that the power may tend to fluctuate depending on the sunlight available.

Some devices may not work as well if the acquired energy from the sun is insufficient. In some cases, power may totally fail if solar energy is limited or unavailable.

If solar power is not consistent in your location, you can invest in a Tesla Powerwall Home Energy Storage Battery to ensure 24/7 power availability.

4. Can You Get Solar Panels Installed?

Even though solar panels are readily available in most hardware stores and the internet, not everyone is still capable of installing these solar photovoltaic systems properly.

Installation depends on several factors and needs careful study, such as the angle of the sun, the position and area where you need to place the solar panels and the number of hours to complete the project.

Usually, your solar panel distributor will help you with installation, but if that’s not possible, consider investing in a Hybrid Wind Solar Power DIY Off-Grid Kit that you can install yourself.


5. Where Can You Buy Solar Panels?

You may find it very expensive to buy solar panels as a first-time buyer and may have to spend more initially to get off the grid. But the costs of using solar energy do decrease over time because the sun is readily available and free.

People living in remote areas may not have ready access to a solar panel distributor from whom you can buy solar panels and you may find that the best solar panels are available online.

The professionals needed to install and maintain the system may not also be available in remote areas, and the installation fees might be more expensive. So, weigh all your options before you decide to buy solar panels.

Are there any available hardware stores that offer the needed parts for your solar energy system setup? Will ordering online be easy and convenient?

Are there agencies or professionals who can offer reliable and quality services to install and maintain the solar cell panels. Are the materials affordable and of good quality?

These are some of the questions you need to consider to get the best deals on solar energy systems online. Ordering online will also depend on your location and the mode of transportation.

If you think that setting up and maintaining your solar energy system will be difficult, it might be better to wait until the technology is more readily available in your area.

How to Choose the Best Solar Energy System For Your Off-Grid Home

As solar energy has become more common and more viable, solar energy companies have begun to develop a number of solar energy systems to choose from, depending on your needs and limitations.

Choosing a solar energy system that would serve all your needs is not easy, so here are some tips to help you choose the best solar energy system for your home.

1. Know Your Solar Energy System

The very first thing you must do is make sure you know what different solar energy systems you can choose from.

Basically, there are two different types of solar energy systems – photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar thermal systems.

  • Photovoltaic Cells Or Solar Panels

Photovoltaic cells are solar energy panels that convert solar energy into electricity that you can use to power up most of your appliances and household lighting, and should only be used for those specific uses.

Unfortunately, solar photovoltaic systems are one of the more expensive, if not the most expensive solar energy systems on the market today.

It is important to learn about different types of solar panels and how to choose the best solar panels to get the best solar panel output for your home.

For example, small solar panels like the 12V monocrystalline solar panel can power a boat, caravan, RV and any other off-grid applications.

But for converting your entire house to solar, the Renogy 300-Watt monocrystalline solar panel is one of the most efficient solar panels and is perfect for residential rooftop systems to decrease your electrical bill, or for a large off-grid system.


The monocrystalline panels will give you the most efficiency per space and have the ability to withstand extreme elements and severe weather.

  • Solar Thermal Systems

Solar thermal systems simply generate heat and are well-suited for boilers, furnaces, solar water heaters and solar pool heaters.

This type of solar energy system allows you to make heat using direct solar energy at a much lower cost as compared to conventional energy and electricity.

However, if you want to retrofit your home with one of these solar thermal systems, you’ll need to sacrifice a little bit of space in your home. The good thing about using solar thermal systems is that you’ll save up to 80% of your total energy cost per year.


2. Calculate Your Energy Costs

Once you have a better understanding and grasp of what solar energy systems are out there, and how they work, you simply need to learn how to calculate the cost of your energy consumption.

This will help you determine which type of solar energy system you should buy. Many people choose to save money by buying used solar panels instead of new ones.

When calculating the cost of your energy consumption, you need to create a list of all the devices and applications that might need energy and electricity.

Include appliances, lighting, water heating, space heating, space cooling and air conditioning. If you can, figure out ways to reduce your electricity and energy consumption too so you can reduce your overall energy requirements.

3. Maintaining Your Solar Energy System

A well-maintained solar energy system will last for 30 years if you take good care of it. You can choose to build your own solar panel or buy it from a solar panel manufacturer.


The longevity of your solar energy system will depend on the quality of the material, the use and applications. The price you pay for it does not immediately equate to quality or longevity.

Spend some time learning about the best solar companies and check if there are any differences with regards to features or benefits that will ultimately enhance the lifespan of your solar energy system. Ask for recommendations from friends or people on online forums who have used residential solar power systems.

But if spending tens of thousands of dollars on a standard solar panel system is not for you and if you want to be “energy independent” and have the fridge, oven and AC on for just a fraction of your usual monthly spend, check out this simple 3D solar array.

This disaster-proof, recession-proof, drought-proof “backyard power plant” is so simple that you don’t have to be an electrician to build it and it requires no maintenance.

Even better, it doesn’t take up a lot of space because its ingenious vertical design means that it needs only 5% of the surface used in conventional solar panel systems.

This device is the cheapest, easiest way to effortlessly make your own personal power plant and have a perpetual source of cheap green electricity for anything heading your way. And the best part: you won’t need to rely on the power grid anymore.

Do share your experience with choosing the best solar energy solutions for your off-grid home in the comments below.

Emergency Preparedness Kit: Your Lifeline When Disaster Hits

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

The most important part of off-grid living and emergency preparedness is having an alternate power source with the ability to recharge batteries.

During an emergency situation or a disaster, it is very helpful to have an extra supply of survival materials. These may include, first aid kits, medicines, food and water, and even money.

It is also ideal to have enough supplies for the next seventy-two hours, equivalent to three days, while other members of the family, rescuers or emergency responders are focusing their attention to people with urgent necessities.

Whatever the nature of the emergency situation, it is best to keep an emergency kit always. The items that are present in an emergency kit are easily available.

The Significance of An Emergency Kit

An emergency kit can contain essential items used on a particular occasion and for emergency purposes.

Travellers normally carry an emergency kit that contains money, first-aid kit, flashlight and batteries, candles, waterproof matches, can opener, canned and packed food and potable water.

An emergency kit can also be prepared in homes by homeowners. It could contain the basic necessities, tools and equipment that can be used in times of emergency or calamity.

An emergency kit can be composed of a storage bag containing the basic entities. It may also contain first aid kit, essential equipment that can be used in calamities or during dark periods and communication devices. The size of the kit may vary depending on the number of items that can be stored.


An emergency kit is very important in times of calamities where people are confined in their houses for a few days or staying in an evacuation centre.

You should prepare the emergency kit for a minimum of three days. It should also be stored safely and securely. An emergency kit is significant for the survival of a person, a group of persons or a family in times of disasters.

An emergency kit is similar to a survival kit. Perhaps, the two are interchangeable terms although military operations prefer to call the items packed and stored for emergency uses as survival kits.

Meanwhile, campers use the term bug-out bags for emergency kits or survival kits. Homeowners may prefer to name the collection of items for emergency uses as an emergency kit.

An emergency kit can be customized according to the needs of the users. It may include more than just the basic necessities. However, the things that can be stored should be essential and usable.

To be prepared in times of disasters is a helpful attitude to have. Preparing the emergency kit is one of the helpful ways to overcome the challenges in a survival situation. Aside from the emergency kit, individuals may also have to make an emergency plan.

An emergency preparedness plan can be made for an individual or for the family. It helps a person or a family the proper things to do in case of an emergency. Making an emergency plan may just take less than an hour.

The occurrence of disasters has definitely soared to an alarmingly high frequency. With unexpected destruction caused by a variety of different hazards and ever-occurring emergency situations, it is highly imperative to own a number of essential tools that ensure safety.

Without these tools, tackling emergencies can prove to be quite a challenge. You may be thinking about buying extra supplies that are hard to find. But no, much of the materials found in an emergency kit are the typical home supplies.

The issue is how you can put all these common household supplies into a useful emergency kit. There are basically three things you need to consider when preparing and putting up an emergency kit. Consider a basic emergency kit, extra emergency supplies and an emergency car kit.

Also include duplicates of your house and car keys, cash bills, coins for calling payphones and a copy of your emergency preparedness plan.

Emergency Kit Basics:

Come up with a compact storage or a convenient-to-carry bag for these emergency kit supplies. Store it in places where it is easily accessible.

Since some of the supplies are perishable like water, medicine and food, make sure to maintain and keep your supplies updated.

You could opt for preserved or canned foods or even dehydrated meals such as Mountain House Classic Bucket meals.


If you have pets and animals you need to store a minimum of 30 to 90 days of stored food and water for each pet, special medications, toys, and the ability to handle pet waste if the pet cannot go outside for 90+ days.

A back up of your basic emergency kit is the extra supplies. These include:

An emergency car kit may include some of the supplies in the basic emergency kits, but with the addition of shovel or snowbrush, road map, anti-freezing agents, rope, flares and fire extinguishers.


If you have babies you might want to stock up on baby formula, medicines or prescription for family members with disabilities.

Also stock up on extra clothing, underwear and spare shoes for at least 2 weeks and a manual non-electric portable washing machine. To repair torn clothing, also pack a sewing basket and accessories. Install water-saving showerheads to save water in the long term.

Place a home fire extinguisher in every room and install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in every room on all floors, as well as an external fire suppression system.

Store enough tarp and plastic sheeting for temporary repair of roof, windows, and siding from storm damage and large-head nails and wood strips to attach them.

You could build a hardened saferoom for protection from tornadoes, extreme weather, and crime and an air filtration system capable of providing positive pressure in a safe room area, with spare filters.

Keep a 72-hrs emergency preparedness kit for 4 persons and have enough cash, gold or silver and anything you can barter on hand.


Download and print recipes for the food you store. Buy maps of the surrounding area, waterproof map cases, a compass, protractor, rulers, grid squares, alcohol-erase markers, pencils, grease pencils etc.

Alternative Energy Systems:

You might want to have a generator that has the capacity to power your electronics, freezer and refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

Use LED lights as far as possible as they consume less battery power. If you want a diesel generator or a biofuel generator, you’ll also need to store enough fuel to power it for at least 2 weeks.

Depending on your location and what sort of renewable power sources you have access to, you can also opt for different types of renewable energy kits that are capable of running all critical devices indefinitely, such as:

Ensure you have a solar power inverter, spare parts, and the manuals for all these generators as well as computer manuals and backup discs for your laptops so you can fix them yourself.


You might also want to download Kindle books for like ARRL’s Small Antennas for Small Spaces.

All your computers and sensitive electronic equipment should be connected to Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), and it’s a good idea to have items like spare extension cords.

To stock up on cheap, spare mobile phones, buy certified pre-owned Gazelle-certified Smartphones.  Also, get extra charging cords and spare batteries for your cell phones. Input all the numbers from your emergency preparedness contact list into each of the cell phones.

You will also require basic defensive firearms with adequate ammunition supply, spare parts and cleaning gear as well as repair manuals.

Communication Equipment:

Here’s some more communication equipment you might want to get:


First-Aid & Medical Supplies:

As far as medical preparedness goes, unless you are a trained doctor or paramedic, you should never do medical procedures that you haven’t trained for, as you can easily end up killing people if you get it wrong.

Having said that, you should definitely be prepared to deal with minor medical issues, and your first-aid and medical kit should be well-stocked with everything you could possibly require.

In case of an emergency, you don’t want yourself or your family to suffer because of the small medical essentials that you could have easily bought.

So what things should you have in your first-aid and medical kit? Here are some you might want to check off your emergency preparedness checklist.


Cooking & Kitchen Equipment:

Here’s a list of items you might want to include in your kitchen and food supplies:


Now, that you know how to put up an emergency kit, waste no time and start gathering those supplies. Your emergency kit could be your family’s only lifeline during a disaster.

5 Green Energy Tips To Save Energy At Home And Work

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links. For more information, read our disclosure.

Many people find it daunting when they consider the prospect of making their home and office greener. But there are many small things you can easily do to save energy at home and work without drastically changing your lifestyle.

5 Green Energy Tips To Reduce Your Home Energy Usage

Need some green energy tips to help you save energy at home and work? These green energy ideas will help you save energy without drastically changing your lifestyle.

1. Small Changes Can Make a Difference

Greener living can start with the simple turn of your light bulbs while replacing them with new energy-efficient dimmable, LED lights and grow to become bigger home improvements.


A great tip to help save energy for those of you who cook a lot is to use lids on your pots and pans. You can actually be a more efficient cook when you do this, and it helps you save energy and money in the process.

When you cook at home, use a microwave oven as much as you can. Stoves and ovens use a lot more energy than microwaves. So, whenever you can “nuke” something in the microwave, take advantage of it and tremendously cut down the energy output.

Move your frozen foods from the freezer to the refrigerator when you are thawing them out. This way of thawing food is safer than leaving it out, and the cold air the food releases helps to cool the inside of your fridge, so it needs to run less often and consumes less energy.

To reduce the energy that your refrigerators and freezers require, put them in a cool place. Placing them in a sunny location or directly in front of heating vents can increase the time that they need to run.

Use a water-saving showerhead in your bathroom. You won’t notice a difference in the feel of your shower, but you’ll save a lot of water. There’ll be an immediate decrease in your water consumption, and saving water benefits our planet.


2. Unplug Things That You’re Not Using

One of the simplest ways to help save the environment is to use less energy. When you aren’t using an appliance, unplug it.

When you aren’t using your television, computer equipment or lights, don’t forget to turn them off. This is a simple tip that can help you save money, too.

Take the battery out of your laptop when using it at home so you can save money by running the laptop using AC current.

A laptop battery will continue to draw up energy even when full, so running plugged-in without the battery uses less electricity. It will also extend the life of the battery.

When the days are longer, leave your lights off as long as possible. Install dimmers for LED lights so that you can adjust how much light you actually use.


Install automatic light sensors with motion detection in your most highly trafficked rooms. Use these sensors to turn the lights off when no one is in the room, which will save you money as you use less energy.

If motion-sensing lights are working for you indoors, try adding them outdoors and in the garage, as well!


3. Weatherize Your Home

Weatherizing your home will help your home be more energy efficient. You can greatly reduce your home’s energy by sealing ducts, installing energy-efficient windows, and adding insulation.

If you can, replace your windows for those that are energy-efficient. These have many benefits, such as reduced spending on energy bills, a quieter home, and less condensation on the interior of your windows.

If you can’t replace your windows, install energy-efficient curtains instead.


4. Heat or Cool Each Room Separately

If you live in a cold climate, you can save a substantial amount of money on your monthly bill by heating each room separately.

A good way to get that done is to use a floor heating system that has a main board for allowing you to set a certain temperature in different areas. If you happen to own a larger home, this will be especially beneficial.


One green energy device you can use is a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can regulate your home’s climate so you are not cooling or heating your home unnecessarily.

The newer models can be programmed with multiple starts and stop times for various days during the week to conserve power. Reducing your thermostat to 60 degrees when the house is vacant will save you more energy than you may think.


60 degrees is the target temperature at which your heater will be consuming the least energy. You can minimize energy usage and save money.

The same goes for climates that require air-conditioning. One easy way to stay green in the summertime is to set your thermostat’s temperature five degrees higher than normal. This can cut your cooling costs by up to one-fifth.

Use fans to cool your home whenever possible. Have a separate AC in each room rather than central air-con.

Make sure your air-conditioning appliances have the Energy Star sticker or logo so that they meet the guidelines set by the U.S. Energy Department and those of the EPA. You may have to purchase these appliances to get tax rebates.

5. Switch to Renewable Or Green Energy

If you’re a business owner, then you’ll be aware of your electrical costs, so you should know that installing solar panels in your office or place of business can save money in the long run.

When you market to customers, make sure you mention that you’re using renewable or green energy. Many consumers prefer going to businesses that support renewable energy technology and care for the environment.


Solar panels will pay for themselves tenfold by not only attracting more customers but also by saving money on electricity bills. Switch to a solar water heater to heat your pools, showers, hot tubs and kitchen faucets to save money.

Solar water heaters use solar energy in an efficient way to heat your water. While many of these upgrades have high up-front costs, they may qualify for tax credits or other rebates.


Consider installing solar-powered lamps for outdoor lighting. These lamps are inexpensive and do not require any kind of power source other than exposure to the sun.

This does more than just save energy. As an added benefit, you are spared the trouble of running an outdoor wiring system.

Look for subsidies or rebates at the local and federal levels for updating your home to renewable energy sources. Your local utility company may be offering green energy rebates to apply updates.

Other companies may offer tax deductions from your local or federal government. These rebates and credits can substantially reduce the cost of installing green energy technology in your home.

Every home is different. These differences will make green-energy technology needs vary. Some green energy solutions that one homeowner implements may not work for another.

When you see green energy tips that fit your current scenario, make use of them wisely to cut your bills and save the planet.

Renewable Energy: Green Energy Solutions For Your Off-Grid Home

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Are you looking for green energy solutions to power your off-grid home? You don’t have to be an energy consultant to understand the many benefits of renewable energy or green energy.

So, what is renewable energy and why are renewable energy sources better for the environment? Why use renewable energy sources?

The definition of renewable energy is “energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.” This source of energy is not likely to run out, inasmuch as the sun is likely to stop shining.

How do renewable energy sources affect the environment? Firstly, renewable energy sources don’t cause global warming, which is caused by burning fossil fuels, which are non-renewable energy sources.

Another benefit of renewable energy is that it can be decentralized, that is, it can be produced locally. You can turn whatever is available locally – wind, solar, tidal energy, hydroelectric (water energy), geothermal energy or biomass energy – into electrical energy to power your off-grid home.

That’s why it is so easy to power an off-grid home with green energy.

How much energy comes from renewable sources?

How much energy is produced by renewable energy sources today? In 2018, renewable energy sources accounted for about 11% of total U.S. energy consumption and about 17% of electricity generation.

While Iceland generates 100% of its electricity from hydroelectric and geothermal sources, 28% of Denmark’s electricity comes from wind, and the government plans to increase this to 50% by 2020.

Any new homes built in California after 2020 will have to be at least partially solar-powered, Google now sources 100% of its energy from renewable sources like solar and wind, and Tesla plans to install solar panels on 1100 houses in South Australia, creating the world’s largest virtual solar plant.

What are renewable energy sources?

There are many types of alternative energy available that are an excellent substitute for fossil fuels that cause global warming. But most people have a lot of questions about renewable energy sources.

They usually want to know, are renewable energy sources reliable? Are renewable energy sources cheaper and more cost-effective? Can renewable energy sources replace fossil fuels?

How many renewable energy sources are there? What are some renewable energy sources examples and how do they compare to each other?

Here are the main forms of renewable energy, along with the advantages of using each one.

Solar Energy Solutions

Passive solar building design uses the inherent properties of building materials to absorb the sun’s heat during the day and keep the home warm at night. These construction methods have been used by many civilizations since ancient times.

Passive solar heating and passive cooling — approaches known as natural conditioning — provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel.

Yet, while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved.

In his book, The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, Dan Chiras, brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts.

Active solar energy solutions like solar hot water systems use a fluid like water to absorb the heat, while photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight into usable direct current electricity and are currently installed in over 100 countries.

What are solar energy’s advantages and disadvantages? The benefit of solar energy is that it is in abundant supply and will not run out for millions of years. All we have to do is find more efficient ways to harvest it.

The disadvantage of solar energy is that our current photovoltaic systems don’t convert energy efficiently enough to be considered a feasible energy alternative.

How efficient are renewable energy sources such as solar power systems? Not as much as we would like, unfortunately.

Solar Energy Facts: Roughly 16% of the sunlight that hits the photovoltaic cell is converted into usable energy.


However, there are new breakthroughs happening all the time in the field of solar energy. For example, electrical engineer Aaswath Raman, at the University of California in LA, invented a device that can harness energy from a dark night sky to power an LED, which is immediately practical for lighting and off-grid sensors.

The primary advantage of solar energy is that it is free, and with more efficient models already in production, solar power may become the world’s primary energy source in the future.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in the entire world. Here are some wind energy facts.

In 2013, the 168 million megawatts of energy that wind turbines produced resulted in the elimination of 95.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. As of the end of 2014, the United States wind power capacity was at 65,879 megawatts.

There are many advantages of wind energy as wind turbines do not pollute or contaminate the surrounding area on which they are built. Wind turbines can be located offshore and some countries use wind farms to supply up to 20% of their electricity needs.

Despite these compelling wind power facts, it does have some disadvantages as wind turbines have been blamed for killing birds that fly into them and they can only generate power in windy areas.

Wind Turbine Facts: A single wind turbine can produce enough energy to power 500 households.

Wind turbine companies now produce small wind turbines or home wind turbine kits and wind turbine generators to generate wind power for homes in remote areas or for those who want to experience off-grid living.

If you live in a place where solar and wind energy are both plentiful, you can get a Hybrid Wind Solar Power DIY Off-Grid Kit for power generation around the clock.


It can be used to power your RV’s, cabins, boats, backup power generation, remote power needs, or around the home such as sheds, barns, and outbuildings.

Hydro Energy Systems

Hydro energy is water energy generated by the movement of water, whether it is falling or flowing down a river. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the term hydropower has referred to generating electricity using water.

Flowing water was used in ancient water mills to power various machines, from saws to cranes and lifts. Today you can get a portable micro-hydro generator kit like the WaterLily 12V to generate power from rivers and charge day or night in any weather.

This water turbine kit is perfect for RVers, boaters, campers, hunters, cabin owners and ideal for base camps, emergency prepping and off-grid living.

Hydropower is an efficient and renewable source of power. However, the building of a dam and reservoir can flood catchment areas, resulting in harmful effects on the environment and displacing thousands of people who live there.

Careful consideration is often given to this before a reservoir system is actually built. Micro-hydro power systems don’t have the disadvantages of mega hydropower dams. You can find a micro-hydro generator for sale online.

Portable water turbine kits like the Pelton Water Wheel or the WaterLily 12V can be used in hilly or mountainous areas to generate energy from small rivers and streams.


Biofuels & Biomass Energy

As one of the primary types of renewable energy used all around the world, biofuels are a sustainable energy resource. They are made from biomass, which is biological material from living or once-living organisms. This includes traditional “fossil fuels” such as gasoline.

However, more readily available biological materials, such as wood, corn, hemp and a wide variety of different species of trees can be used to create biofuels. These biomass energy sources can be grown and harvested, making them a sustainable energy resource.

But, burning biomass for energy does have disadvantages as some of them can release toxic fumes when burned, contributing to air pollution. Also, burning biofuels is not a zero-carbon activity and contributes to global warming because of the CO2 released.

If you do plan to use biofuels, like ethanol, in your off-grid home, you can get the eco-friendly Ignis Ventless Bio Ethanol Fireplace Burner. It doesn’t produce any smoke, soot or dangerous gases, has no chimney, no gas or electric lines and is easy to maintain.


Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is generated by tapping into the thermal energy or heat at the Earth’s core. This energy is harvested by drilling deep into the ground, then pumping in a heat transfer fluid such as water or steam.

The energy that is transferred up to the surface is converted into usable power. Water-based systems are the most effective, but also have the potential to cause contamination in the nearby water table. This means that great care must be taken to not damage the local water supply.

In the book, DIY: How to Make Cheap Air Conditioning Earth Tubes: Do It Yourself Homemade Air Conditioner, you’ll learn how to use earth tubes (or earth-air tubes) – underground tubes that use geothermal energy – to cool or heat temper the air for your home.

It works like cheap air conditioning because you can build it yourself for several hundred dollars and it is free to run (no electricity needed). Being completely passive, this is a sustainable technology based on designs that are 3,000 years old and still used today around the world to cool homes.

If you live in an area where a volcanic activity or geothermal springs are present, you should get these books on using Geothermal Energy for the home.

The continuous growth in sustainable energy technology has made energy source alternatives increasingly viable options.


With such positive results and far less impact on the environment, sustainable energy sources are our best energy option when it comes to a long-term energy supply.

How much do renewable energy sources cost? 

Are renewable energy sources expensive? In the past, installing solar energy systems used to be extremely expensive because of the cost of photovoltaic cells and also complicated because consumers couldn’t figure out the solar energy marketplace.

Over the last decade, the cost of installing solar energy systems has fallen by 70% and solar energy companies are educating and guiding consumers through the process, making solar energy an incredibly lucrative long-term investment.

For budget-conscious consumers, used solar panels are a great way to save money.

But if spending tens of thousands of dollars on a standard solar panel system is not for you and if you want to be “energy independent” and have the fridge, oven and AC on for just a fraction of your usual monthly spend, check out this simple 3D solar array.

This disaster-proof, recession-proof, drought-proof “backyard power plant” is so simple that you don’t have to be an electrician to build it and it requires no maintenance.

Even better, it doesn’t take up a lot of space because its ingenious vertical design means that it needs only 5% of the surface used in conventional solar panel systems.

This device is the cheapest, easiest way to effortlessly make your own personal power plant and have a perpetual source of cheap green electricity for anything heading your way. And the best part: you won’t need to rely on the power grid anymore.

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