How You Can Help with Energy Efficiency in Your Home
As we all know, it is much more difficult to reduce the impact you have on the environment with your heating and electric bills than it is to maintain an environmentally friendly lifestyle. But this doesn’t mean that those who try harder can’t make a difference. I think you’ll agree that every small step in the right direction of reducing energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency in our homes and workplaces is a step worth taking.
Start Improving Your Energy Efficiency Today
What do you think about when you see your energy bill every month? Do you forget it or just think of it as a necessary evil?
If you want to save money on your energy bills, it’s time to act. Energy efficiency is all about reducing the amount of energy that you use and using less.
Here are some simple ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency:
Start by measuring how much electricity and gas you use over a period using an electric or gas meter (if you have one).
Then compare that information with information from your utility company about how much energy other households in your area are using.
Get started looking for ways to reduce these amounts by making changes around the house.
Install low-flow showerheads and fix leaky faucets. Replace old appliances with energy-saving ones.
Turn off lights when you leave a room, even if they’re in a switch plate that’s hard to reach (but don’t forget about ceiling fans!).
Get an insulation check-up from a professional who can recommend ways to make your home more efficient (for example, adding insulation under your attic floor).
Remember, energy efficiency is important for your health, the environment, and your wallet.
Reduce Your Bills and Help the Environment
To reduce your bills, there are two things you can do: reduce the amount of energy you use and reduce the cost per unit of energy.
You can do the latter by switching to a cleaner energy source like solar or wind power.
But if that’s not an option for you, there are still plenty of ways to save money on your utilities.
Most of us are always on the lookout for ways to save money.
However, there are some things we don’t think about when it comes to saving energy.
Here are 10 small changes that can make a big difference in your utility bills:
- Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
- Unplug Electronics When Not In Use
- Adjust Your Thermostat During Peak Times
- Check For Leaks And Seal Them Up
- Don’t Overload Your Refrigerator Or Freezer
- Insulate Your Water Heater & Pipes
- Weatherize Your Home’s Windows & Doors
- Install Programmable Thermostats
- Turn Off Unused Appliances And Lights When Not In Use
- Run Your Dishwasher & Washer During Off-Peak Hours
Find Alternative Sources of Energy for Your Home
The price of oil has been rising for the past few months and shows no signs of slowing down.
And gas prices are also on the rise with many people looking to find alternative sources of energy for their homes.
One of the best ways to save money and reduce your carbon footprint is by using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power.
In the past decade, we have witnessed a rise in the use of alternative sources of energy.
This has given us a chance to explore new possibilities and to make our environment better.
The first source that comes to our mind is solar power. The sun provides an endless supply of energy, and it is completely free!
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity that can be used in our homes or sold back to the utility company.
We should also consider other sources of energy. Wind turbines are another option that we can use.
These turbines harness wind power to generate electricity for homes and businesses.
The thought of changing your source of power from the traditional grid to solar or wind energy can be daunting, but it’s not as hard as you might think.
You can start small with a solar panel or a small wind turbine and then expand over time, depending on your needs.
Add Insulation to Your Attic, Basement, And Walls
It’s not a secret that keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer is one of the best ways to save money on your energy bills.
But if you’re not sure where to start, or how much it will cost, here are some ideas that might help.
Attics are often poorly insulated because they’re so hard to access.
If you have an attic, insulating it can be as simple as laying down some insulation under your subflooring and then covering it with drywall.
You’ll want to make sure that you put up enough insulation to keep the roof deck dry.
In addition, many attics have a lot of air leaks between the rafters and soffit vents that allow cold air into your house during winter months.
You can use spray foam insulation to seal those gaps up quickly and easily.
The most common type of wall insulation is fibreglass batts, which come in sizes that correspond to stud spacing on the wall — usually 24 or 32 inches (61 or 81cm).
The batts are stapled between studs with 16-inch (41 cm) centres, and they’re covered with drywall on both sides.
Some newer types of insulation don’t require the addition of drywall over them. Instead, they’re sprayed onto the wall surface and covered with a thin layer of plastic sheeting before the drywall goes up.
If your basement walls leak in cold air during winter months, you can insulate them with rigid foam insulation boards or spray foam insulation.
These products come in different thicknesses, from 1 inch thick up to 6 inches thick; choose one that best fits your needs based on how much space you have between studs and joists in your basement wall cavities.
Help Save Planet Earth by Installing a Low-Flow Showerhead
If you’ve ever been in a house with an old showerhead, you know what I’m talking about. You turn on the water and wait and wait…and wait some more.
That’s because most showerheads use 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) or more of water — even when they’re not running at full pressure.
It doesn’t take much to reduce your water use. Installing low-flow showerheads can cut your bill by 10% or more.
If you’re looking to save money on your monthly water bill, installing a low-flow showerhead could be a good place to start.
But not all low-flow showerheads are created equal.
The average household uses about 18,000 gallons of water each year in the shower alone. That’s enough to fill two swimming pools!
And if you’re using a standard 2.5 GPM showerhead, it’s easy to see why your bills are so high.
But there is another option: installing a low-flow showerhead that uses less than 1 GPM of water per minute.
These types of heads use 40% less water than their higher-flow counterparts and can help you save hundreds each year on your water bill.
Save Money by Lowering Your Water Heater’s Temperature
If you want to save money on your energy bills, the first place to look is your water heater.
Lowering the temperature setting on your water heater helps eliminate hot water loss through evaporation and reduces heating costs by minimising the amount of energy needed to maintain a hot shower or bath.
It also helps to extend the life of your appliance because it consumes less energy over time.
You can lower the temperature on your water heater and still take hot showers, wash your clothes and dishes, and clean your house just as well as before.
This will save you money without sacrificing any comfort or convenience in your home.
The average household uses about 50 gallons of hot water every day — enough for two baths, three loads of laundry and 10 dishwasher cycles — so it makes sense that saving this energy could be an important part of any energy conservation plan.
A conventional electric-powered tank water heater works by heating water in an insulated tank until it reaches a certain temperature and then maintaining that temperature indefinitely until someone needs to use hot water again.
Just remember that the higher the temperature setting on your water heater, the more energy it uses and the more money it costs you each month — even if you’re not using hot water.
Cold Water Laundry Good for Your Clothes and The Planet
Cold water is better for your clothes and the planet. And it’s not just because it saves energy — although it does.
Clothes washed in cold water last longer, and they’re more likely to stay looking newer, brighter, and cleaner longer.
Washing in cold water is not only good for the environment but also has benefits for your health as well!
A study conducted by the University of Leeds found that washing with warm or hot water could leave behind traces of residue on clothes that contain potentially harmful substances such as dyes and perfumes.
In addition to saving energy, washing clothes in cold water can help protect the planet by reducing the amount of hot water used at homes across the world every day.
This helps keep our sewer systems free from excess waste during peak summer months when demand for hot water can spike dramatically due to increased use by both homes and businesses alike.
When you wash at a higher temperature, you’re more likely to damage your clothes.
Even if they were clean before they went into the machine, they might not be when they come out.
And if there are any stains on those clothes?
Well, they’ll probably be worse after they’ve been washed at high temperatures because heat can cause some stains to set permanently into fabric fibres.
Making changes to your home can help you be more energy efficient, saving energy and money.
Home improvements are a great way to save money on energy bills.
You don’t have to make a major investment to see results. You can even improve your home’s energy efficiency with relatively low-cost and simple improvements.
Home improvements for energy efficiency can be divided into three areas:
Insulation — Improving insulation prevents heat from escaping in the winter and entering in the summer.
This reduces the amount of energy you need to heat or cool your home, saving you money on your utility bills.
Windows — Insulating windows reduces drafts, which saves energy by reducing the amount of heating or cooling needed in your home.
Newer windows that meet certain specifications help reduce air infiltration by as much as 50% compared to older windows with single-pane glass.
Air sealing — Air leaks are common in older homes and can account for as much as 20% of heat loss.
By sealing leaks around doors and windows, you can reduce this loss significantly without having to install more expensive replacement windows or major repairs down the road.
It’s easy to get into a rut when it comes to home improvement. You may have had the same furniture for years, or your kitchen always looks the same.
But changing things up can be fun, and it can also help you be more energy efficient.
Changing things around in your home doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time.
Just a few simple changes can make a big difference in how much energy you use and how comfortable you feel.
Conclusion
Learn how you can improve the energy efficiency of your home, saving money, energy, and the environment, helping to reduce your energy bills and live greener.
Making your home more energy efficient can be a daunting project, but you don’t have to take it all on at once.
Focus on making one change at a time, and you’ll start saving in no time.
In terms of climate change, energy usage may be the single largest area in which we as consumers can have a significant impact.
By making simple changes—not to mention cost-effective ones—we can help preserve our environment for future generations.
