Improved energy efficiency helps you and the planet in more ways than one.
By reducing energy needs, we don’t have to generate as much power to meet the demand. And as a consumer, you don’t have to spend as much money on electricity.
Also, utility companies don’t have to build new power generation capacity to meet the needs of the population if more people curtail their energy usage.
Thankfully, there are tons of different ways that people can reduce their energy consumption, and in many cases, just doing some minor adjustments can start adding up.
Here are 10 ways you can make your home more energy efficient.
Improved energy efficiency helps you and the planet in more ways than one.
By reducing energy needs, we don’t have to generate as much power to meet the demand.
And as a consumer, you don’t have to spend as much money on electricity.
Also, utility companies don’t have to build new power generation capacity to meet the needs of the population if more people curtail their energy usage.
Thankfully, there are tons of different ways that people can reduce their energy consumption, and in many cases, just doing some minor adjustments can start adding up.
Here are 10 ways you can make your home more energy efficient.
Take Control of Your Thermostat
An immediate way to save energy is to change the thermostat. Turn it up in the summer, and turn the temperature down in the winter.
You can take things even further by installing a programmable thermostat as it can learn your temperature preferences.
It will then micromanage the heater and air conditioner to minimize energy usage while keeping your home comfortable.
Depending on the thermostat and HVAC system, you could tell it that you’ll be home late, so don’t turn on the AC for another two hours.
You can also save energy by turning on a fan and having a cold drink before you give in and lower the temperature.
Plug All Those Little Leaks
Adding insulation to the spots in the wall where it has settled and sealing gaps under doorways will reduce the slow loss of heat through those spots.
Sealing the gaps around windows and ensuring doors and windows shut securely is a cheap and easy way to save on your energy bills.
You can put up insulated drapes so that you don’t lose heat through the windows.
You might find that the hatch to the attic is that source of the cold spots in the hallway, or the gaps in the baseboards are letting outside air in.
Install Solar Panels
Installing solar panels is another great way that you can make your home more energy efficient and sustainable at the same time.
And you could get a better deal depending on where you’re living.
Cities like San Diego, for instance, have decided to make solar energy a priority and are taking concrete steps to promote solar panel installations.
They connect local homeowners with commercial banks that will loan them money to install solar panels or make other modifications to make their homes more energy efficient.
They only require quotes from three of the best solar companies in San Diego to consider giving you a loan.
If you want to learn more about solar panel installation and why you should consider adding them to your home, you can get more information at sempersolaris.com.
They’re one of the best companies for solar installations in San Diego and also offer energy storage solutions so you can make the most out of your solar panel system.
Not only that, but they can build a system tailor made for your energy needs and budget as well.
There are tons of benefits to installing solar panels on a San Diego home.
The first is clean, renewable energy to meet your family’s needs.
The second is that the incredibly sunny San Diego area allows you to put power back into the grid fairly often.
This can result in a reduction on your power bills if you do have to run the AC from time to time, and it could even result in the utility company paying you.
Reduce Your Water Usage
One way to make your home more energy efficient is to install a low flow showerhead.
The less water you use, the lower your impact on the planet.
Reduce your overall usage of hot water, whether by using less water in general or switching to cold water more often, and you will reduce the energy required to heat the water.
Another thing you could do is install a tankless hot water heater.
One of the great things about tankless water heaters is that they don’t need to unnecessarily heat up water for you to enjoy it.
They produce hot water on demand, which also means that you can never run out.
You also won’t have to run the faucet or shower waiting for the water to warm up, potentially wasting hot water in the process.
However, know that these have a much smaller output than your traditional hot water tank, so you might have to install multiple ones in the house if you have a larger household.
There are many other ways that you can reduce your water consumption.
For instance, you could make it a habit to time your showers.
You could set your timer for 5 minutes on your phone to make sure that you don’t lose track.
Don’t start a cycle on your machine for a couple of items, and get yourself a laundry bin.
Using a full machine requires less energy than running two half loads, so be aware of that.
And speaking of laundry, know that you don’t have to use hot or even warm water all the time, even if the label says so.
Most fabrics can be cleaned with cold water and you can use detergent made specifically for this if you want to get better results.
It is estimated that hot water accounts for as much as 90% of the total energy used up by your washing machine, and washing machines are one of the most energy hungry appliances in your household, so just making this adjustment could make a huge difference over time.
Maintain Your Home
Replace the air filters in your HVAC system more often so that the unit doesn’t have to work as hard.
Clean the lint trap in the clothes dryer so it can finish more quickly.
Walk around your home or have a home energy audit done to find out what you could fix to seal the leaks that let heated or air-conditioned air outside.
For example, you might need to seal electrical wall outlets or fix attic hatches and fireplace dampers.
Don’t forget to see if the hot water heater could be better insulated, too, and have any hot water heater leaks fixed.
Have an Energy Audit Performed
You could also call in someone to perform an energy audit on your house.
If you don’t know where you can find a good energy auditor, you can ask your state’s weatherization or energy office, and chances are they’ll be able to guide you to a local company that will perform the audit with you.
Your gas or electric company could also guide you to resources or even perform audits themselves.
You can also check your local phone book under “energy” or check out the Residential Energy Services Network’s index of certified auditors.
However, you should know that not all auditors are the same, and you’ll have to vet them first before you pick the one you want to work with.
Before you hire any company, make sure that you ask for references and that you confirm them.
Ask them what they thought of the auditor’s job.
It would also be a good idea to check out if they have any complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
You should also make sure that they use calibrated blower doors and conduct thermogenic inspections as well.
Before you have the auditor come in however, you have to be prepared.
The first thing you could do is make an inventory of the things you do know might be issues with your house, such as poor insulation or condensation.
You should also have either a summary or copies of your yearly energy bills.
All this information will give auditors some pointers as to what to look for, and whether you have higher bills than you should.
The auditor will also assess how energy is used in the house and your household’s habits.
They’ll ask things like whether there are people in the house when parents are off to work, for instance, or how high you set your thermostats in the winter.
They will be able to use this information as well as various test results to give you a few tips and modifications that you could make to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Get Rid of Incandescent Bulbs
Manufacturers have already removed 40- and 60-watt incandescent bulb from production in 2014, and 100-watt incandescent bulbs before that.
However, that doesn’t mean that we’ll all have to live in the dark. LED, halogen, and CFL (compact fluorescent) lights do just as good of a job, if not better, and are much less energy hungry.
And while you may not think that it’ll make a huge difference, replacing 20 to 40 light bulbs will definitely reflect on your energy bills.
Unplug Your Appliances and Gadgets
Another thing that people may overlook are the multiple chargers that we use on a daily basis.
But leaving chargers on for longer than needed can use up a lot of energy after a while, especially when everyone in the house does it.
What people also don’t realize is that appliances that are plugged in but not used still consume some energy.
These are often referred to as “energy vampires”, and when added up, could account for as much as 10% of your total monthly energy costs.
So, make sure that you identify any device that you can unplug such as toasters, your microwave oven, or your Wi-Fi router during the night.
Another thing you could do is plug all items that you can safely manage into one single power strip.
What this will do is allow you to switch the power on and off of these devices without having to constantly plug and unplug them.
And if you have a light switch at home that can switch off power outlets, use it.
There are also advanced power strips that will automatically shut down and cut electricity to certain devices without you having to do anything.
Use Appliances Intelligently
Another thing you have to do is understand what causes certain appliances to use more energy and use them in a way that won’t cause them to do so.
For instance, did you know that leaving a refrigerator near a radiator in the winter or in direct sunlight in the summer could cause it to consume more energy?
If you leave your refrigerator or a freezer close to a source of heat, then it will need to work more in order to keep its temperature down.
Not only that, but it will put more stress on the fridge’s motor, which could cause it to break down prematurely.
Another thing you should do is consider using other devices besides a desktop when you’re at home.If possible, use a laptop instead.
Laptops consume considerably less energy than your run of the mill PC, and the same goes for your tablet and phone.
If you’re going to be using your PC however, always make sure that you turn off both the computer and monitor if you can instead of leaving them on sleep mode.
Use Daylight as Much as You Can
There are many modifications that you can make to your house to maximize the use of sunlight.
One example is adding skylights. However, you have to make sure that you use double or triple pane glass to make them more energy efficient.
You could also add clerestory windows which are wide, short windows mounted near the ceiling that let both light and heat seep in the room during the winter months.
Taking a few modest steps can shave several percent off your energy bill rather quickly.
More drastic steps can significantly reduce your environmental footprint and save you money in a variety of ways.
Whether you decide to go all out or implement a few of these changes, the important thing is that you do your part.
The savings are just the cherry on top.
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