Being efficient with your home’s energy is a must. As TE Johnson explains, not only are you able to lower your energy consumption, but you also can help with saving the environment, which is always a good thing. With that said, you’d have to lessen your energy consumption, and be more aware of your surroundings when at home.
As you do your daily activities in the house, you should always look for ways to be energy efficient. Listed below are the ways to make your home energy efficient:
1. Ensure Your ACs (Air Conditioners) Are In Good Condition
While it may seem to be the standard, having a fully functional AC would help make your home energy efficient. When your AC is faulty, though, it’ll consume more power, because it’ll work extremely hard to get your room to its optimal temperature. As a result, you can expect your electricity bill to surge up.
If you have a faulty AC system in your home, you should immediately call someone for a repair. You can look for good services near your area, like Arlington AC services, if you’re in the vicinity.
2. Change To LED (Light-Emitting Diode) Bulbs
It’s almost common for every home to use incandescent light bulbs as they’re cheaper and sometimes easier to look for. However, if you’re looking for ways to make your home energy efficient, switching to LED bulbs will be a better idea.
LED bulbs are more expensive than incandescent light bulbs. But they consume 80% less energy, making them a better option for your household in the long run. While you may need to bring out some extra cash initially, the benefits they will bring to the environment and your energy bill are worth it. This is true, especially because they can last for up to 50 times longer than incandescent light bulbs.
3. Consider Switching To Solar Power
If you’d like to decrease your electricity bill by a huge amount, you should consider switching to solar power. Installing solar panels aren’t generally cheap, as you need to pay a hefty amount of money per panel. While it might have a huge upfront price, the benefits they will bring to your house, and the environment are worth it.
With solar energy, you’ll use less fossil fuel as you’ll rely on the line electricity only for back-up. This happens when there’s not enough sunlight during the day. But with solar energy, you can get more out of your electricity because your main source will be from the sun. The sun is considered as a sustainable energy source.
4. Air Seal Your Home
No matter how small a gap is onto the perimeter of your home, it can cause your cooling and heating system to use more than 10% of its energy to reach the its optimal room temperature. To avoid overworking your AC, and allowing your room to be cool or to warm faster, you should air seal every part of your home that has cracks and small openings.
Ideally, you should air seal your windows, door openings, and other holes the rooms have. In this way, you can properly lock the temperature inside, allowing your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system to work optimally.
5. Take Advantage Of Natural Light
If you are lucky enough to have windows that face the sun during the day, you should make the most out of it. Take advantage of the natural light as much as possible.
Ideally, your main goal should be turning on the lights only during the night when sunlight isn’t available. During the day, it’s better to open up your curtains, and allow the natural light to come through and inside your home. Not only will this help to brighten the rooms, but it can also aid in warming up the room during the colder seasons.
6. Unplug Electronics When Not In Use
Some people tend to leave their electronics plugged in since they think it won’t consume energy while turned off. While that may be partly true, but it’s still better to unplug your unused devices every time you no longer need them. Residual energy is still going through the wires, consuming electricity. For best cases, you should unplug them immediately.
7. Replace Appliances
Old appliances tend to consume more energy because they don’t have the newer models’ technological capacity to allow a device to work perfectly without consuming much power. To enable your home to be energy efficient, consider updating your appliances. This will translate to your house consuming less energy overall.
Ideally, you should look for products with an energy star rating, as they help to ensure every appliance is energy efficient. While there might be an additional cost in the beginning, it’ll benefit you in the long run through a reduction in your electricity bills. What’s more, newer models tend to have lesser repairs.
Conclusion
Making your home energy efficient is always a smart idea. In this way, you can allow your home to reduce your monthly electricity bills, while saving the environment at the same time. Moreover, it’ll be more helpful if you could encourage everyone in your home to do the same. Making the whole house energy efficient is more fun when done together.
