Smart Tips to Make your Home More Energy-Efficient

To be energy efficient, you must use less energy to complete your tasks, thus decreasing energy waste, and at the same time saving money. However, increasing your energy efficiency needs more than your ability to simply reduce your energy usage. It also requires you to become aware of how energy is consumed, where it is wasted, and how to utilize it more effectively and efficiently in your daily life. Here are some energy-saving and efficiency-improving ideas to help save money and energy in your house.

We are lucky to be living in an age that is dominated by technological advancement and innovation. Everywhere you look, innovative technology, transportation efficiency, and useful applications (or solutions) are applied to make it easy for all to live more efficiently. If your home is older and your need technological updates to help you save money on your energy bills, you can have the experts from masterelectrical.com/ come over to install updated smart technology devices for you. These devices, like s smart thermostat, will allow you to program the device to turn your heat down automatically at night while sleeping and then heat back up an hour or so before your household wakes up. You will never know that this smart device was helping you to save money by not wasting energy. Still, with all of this great innovations, we are bound to be confused and frequently question why so many people are still not adopting a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

If we make just one environment-friendly adjustment, we would significantly improve the environment, our communities, and energy costs. You can get your home checked by the professionals of Bates Electric to know if you need some major modifications.

So, if any of you are ready to make minor adjustments but are unsure of what steps to follow to be more energy-efficient, here are some suggestions for making your house eco-friendlier.

Cost Saving Tips

Reduce Temperature of Thermostat

Reduce the temperature of your thermostat when not at home. Make it a practice to lower the thermostat temperature while away from home. Dropping the temperature by three to five degrees can significantly reduce your monthly electricity cost and energy use. For example, by lowering the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees during the workday, you can save anywhere from 5 to 15 percent of your annual energy bill.

Use Compost Pile

To create a compost pile in your garden, you do not need a large area. Compost is produced with organic waste being piled-up or placed in a container and allowed to degrade over time. In addition to converting the waste into an excellent fertilizer for your lawn or garden, you are also lowering the quantity of garbage you generate daily and saving money at the same time.

Use a Low-flow Showerhead

Installing low-flow showerheads can help you save money on water by increasing the water efficiency of your house. Water flows via low-flow showerheads at less than 2.5 gallons per minute, when compared with standard showerheads which consume 5 gallons or more per minute.

Seal the Windows

You can try reducing air leaks from the windows in your house. Add weatherstripping around the window frames if they are letting in air from outside. Apply a bead of silicone caulk over any gaps in the walls, or use a piece of shrink film over the windows to keep them from fogging up. Gaps and cracks can be sealed easily and inexpensively, which helps to save money on energy bills.

Limit the Use of Space Heaters

Although electric and gas space heaters are great for keeping you warm in colder weather, they are not the most energy-efficient method to heat your house. Most space heaters use 1,500 watts of electricity to operate and are often regarded as a source of high-cost energy consumption that increases your energy bill. First, check to see if your space heater is an energy-efficient one. Instead of turning up the thermostat, try investing in blankets or layering clothes to keep you warm.

Avoid Unnecessary Water Consumption

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a typical household can save about $170 per year by making minor adjustments to their water consumption. For example, always turn off the water tap while brushing your teeth or shaving. In addition, bathing usually consumes 75 gallons of water, while a shower consumes about 17.2 gallons on average. In addition, you should avoid running half-loads of clothes in your washing machine. A full load implies that more clothing can be washed, which in turn helps to save water and money.

Try Replacing Incandescent Bulbs

Lightbulbs made of 60 and 40-watt incandescent bulbs are no longer available since the manufacturers discontinued production in 2014. We are not, however, doomed to a life in the dark. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), halogen bulbs, and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs provide brighter light while using less energy than traditional incandescent light bulbs. Most houses have almost 40 bulbs, so switching to an energy-saving bulb would be a great way of saving energy.

Unplug Chargers when Not in Use

Connected but not in use charges such as cell phones and battery chargers are referred to as energy vampires. Unplugging them will save you money on energy bills. It is estimated that an average charger uses 0.26 watts of energy while not in use and 2.24 watts when it is attached to your phone. A single charger will have little effect on your energy cost when used alone. However, a number of them can add up to 10% of your total energy expenditure. So, disconnect your chargers while not in use.

Conduct an Energy Audit

Hire a professional energy auditor to evaluate the inefficiency and wasted energy of your house. An auditor who has received specialized training and certification will look for ways to save money and identify areas that need repair. Auditors usually charge by the square footage of your home or by the hour.

Conclusion

As you can see, designing and building energy-efficient houses is not all that complicated. There are some easy measures that you can take, and you do not have to implement them all at once. It can be a good idea to make a few minor modifications every now and then to reach your goal, rather than getting overwhelmed all at once.