going green, free electricityLast weekend I was watching a TV show about innovations in solar energy and learned that there is a company who is making solar balloons that are inexpensive and generate a kilowatt of electricity. I thought that was such a good idea for generating free electricity. They are not going to sell these to the public, however, so it's back to the drawing board for we at home to step up our efforts for going green. We already use solar ovens and solar lights outside, and this winter I wanted to  solar air heaters to heat the house, but so far, the winter has been mild and we haven't had to use the furnace much, turning to our radiant oil heaters instead for spot heating.

Sometimes going green at home is as simple as relying on smaller appliances like our oil heaters that don't use much electricity but do an effective job of heating spaces. We also put large bubble wrap on many of the windows that keep the cold glass from radiating chilly air into the house, and we believe this has made a big difference in keeping the house warmer, as well. We simply spray the windows with a mist of water and pop the wrap bubble-side toward the glass, and it stays put for weeks. It didn't cost much, and has helped us with going green this winter, and the wrap lasts season after season.