As a homeowner, energy efficiency should be an essential part of your lifestyle. For one, energy efficiency has a direct impact on your bills. Secondly, an energy-efficient home ensures all-year-round comfort and more importantly promotes good health. In addition to benefits as a homeowner, being conscious about your energy consumption is also a way to help the planet.
Looking at the various benefits, improving your home’s energy efficiency is certainly worth spending on. Here are some easy and affordable ways you can make your home more energy-efficient. Take a look.
1. Weatherproof Doors & Windows
Any gaps in your doors and windows are letting warm or cold air escape. Prevent such energy loss by weatherproofing your doors and windows. You can easily install weatherstripping to ensure your home is retaining energy.
2. Swap Inefficient Lights
Incandescent and halogen lights are outdated lighting fixtures that you should immediately replace. These lights waste energy and lack durability. LED lights are the superior choice. Though they may cost slightly more, they offer long-term energy savings. Also, LED lights usually last a long longer than other alternatives.
3. Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances
Whether you’re shopping for an air conditioner or any kitchen appliance, make sure you look for an energy-efficient model. One easy way to determine the energy efficiency of an appliance is by checking the Energy Star Rating. The higher the rating, the better energy efficiency offered by an appliance.
To further reduce your energy consumption, it would be helpful to change your energy provider. If you’re looking for competitively-priced plans, check out AGL electricity plans.
4. Don’t Overlook Insulation
Just cutting back your consumption is not enough to reduce your energy bills. It’s possible that your home is inadequate when it comes to retaining energy and overloading your HVAC unit. Upgrade your home’s insulation to reduce dependence on heating and cooling.
5. Get a Smart Thermostat
A thermostat is a powerful tool to manage your everyday energy consumption. To have better control over your consumption, it would be best to install a smart thermostat. Rather than constantly adjusting the manual thermostat, you can automate the process with a smart upgrade.
6. Find Suitable Window Treatment
Large windows are a beautiful feature, but they can also be the reason for energy loss. Find suitable window treatment to control how much sunlight enters your home.
7. HVAC Maintenance
Keeping up with routine HVAC maintenance is crucial to make sure it works optimally. Timely maintenance also extends the life of the unit and ensures energy efficiency.
8. Install Low-Flow Bathroom Fixtures
Conserving water is just as important as saving electricity. Turning off the tap while brush teeth and taking shorter showers are some simple ways you can save water in your everyday life. However, to create a bigger impact, you should replace inefficient bathroom fixtures with low-flow versions.
9. Utilize Natural Light
There is plenty of natural light and it’s absolutely free. So why aren’t you making the most of it? During winters, open up your curtain to naturally warm up your house with sunlight. Furthermore, installing a solar panel is a great way to reduce your dependence on energy providers.
10. Smart Power Strips / Power Boards
Phantom appliances will continue to waste energy unless you unplug them. But who wants to unplug the coffee machine or TV after every use? It’s inconvenient and easy to forget. Save your efforts by getting smart power boards. Power boards automatically cut off the power when appliances are not in use.
Final Words
If you plan on putting your house on the market, energy efficiency will add to the value of your home. It is an investment that promises long-term returns, so what’s stopping you?