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If your electricity bill has been rising for the past some months, you should take the energy efficiency of your home more seriously than ever. Besides denting your budget, it harms the environment by increasing carbon footprints and emissions.
How to make your home energy efficient?
There are two ways to achieve it—
Firstly, get energy efficient devices or alternative energy devices like solar panels installed at your home.
Secondly, be careful with your daily energy needs.
Here we have compiled the information keeping both things in mind.
Get Your Windows Replaced:
Windows impacts the insulation of your home. If it is not energy efficient, it can strip off a lot of heat during the winter, and leak the cool air from your home during summer. This is the reason why your energy bills keep climbing.
Therefore, you may get your windows replaced.
Opt for the options like double panel windows and other vinyl frames. You may also like to tint your windows and keep your blinds open to let natural light come in.
Besides, make sure to seal the air leaks in and around the windows. The frames can be integrated with weather stripping.
Cut on the Use of Your Heater:
Electric and gas space heaters are commonly used to keep the home warm during snowy winters. However, they are one of the devices making up most of your electricity bills. A 15, 00 watts of a space heater can eat up the most electricity. Therefore, always choose the model that is energy efficient. One more thing—minimize the use of heather. Instead, you can layer up yourself and use the blankets as well.
Turn Off the Tap When Not In Use:
With some small changes to your water consumption, you can save nearly $170 annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These small changes are easy to implement. For example, the tap can be turned off when not in use during brushing or shaving.
Take a short shower as it uses only 17.2 gallons on average than 75 gallons of water being used in bathing. Consider washing a full load of outfits at once to save water.
Compact fluorescent bulbs may be a bit expensive. However, they help you save big on electricity bills down the road. CFL consumes nearly 70% LESS energy than incandescent bulbs and lasts 8-12 times longer than the latter. Even installing CFL at some parts of your home can lower your energy consumption.
Unplug Chargers When Not in Use:
Did you know your unused chargers can even eat up energy when they are plugged in? According to Energy.gov, an average (plugin) charger consumes 0.26 watts of energy when remains unused and 2.24 when it is connected to your cellphone. Although a single charger won’t eat up a lot of energy, several charges across the home can make up 10% of your energy bill. It costs you nothing to disconnect your mobile charges when they aren’t in use.
Bring in Energy Efficient Appliances:
Only purchase the home appliances like over, cooking equipment and refrigerators which are certified as Energy Star. These appliances consume less energy, though they can be a bit more up front. They use considerably less energy than old appliances. And purchasing them is important when the appliance can make nearly 30% of your home energy consumption. So, it is beneficial to upgrade to more efficient appliances to save energy and money.
Install Solar Panels:
This one is no brainer. While solar power is primarily used for lighting and heating, it can run some appliances. They are generally installed on the roof and rely on sunlight to generate electricity.
With the help of these simple steps, you can keep your home energy efficient throughout the year. And you end up saving money, energy, and environment in the long run.
Also Read: What are the Benefits of DIY Projects?
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