Energy efficiency is something that has become popular in recent years. Creating an energy-efficient home can be extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. Not only can it help save you money, but it can also be beneficial to the earth. Luckily, there are many ways to make your home more energy efficient.
We offer energy audits for homes in Upstate New York. With these energy audits, we are able to find areas where you can improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort. We also offer installation services and upgrades to help achieve these results.
Along with our services, we wanted to provide homeowners with some tips to help them make their homes more energy efficient. Read on to learn more and contact our team today!
What Is Energy Efficiency?
Before we dive into the tips, we wanted to talk about what energy efficiency means. While most people understand the basic meaning, we wanted to discuss it further. Energy efficiency means using less energy to perform the same tasks, eliminating energy waste. When you make your home or business more energy efficient, you are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing demand for energy imports, and lowering how much you spend monthly. There are a ton of energy-efficient options now when it comes to light bulbs, appliances, and other household products.
Now, let’s take a look at the many ways you can improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Switch to Energy-Efficient Alternatives
As we mentioned, there are many items that now come as energy-efficient alternatives. Swapping out your old light bulbs for LED, CFL, or halogen bulbs is a great way to save some energy. These types of bulbs last longer and are more energy-efficient, which means it is a simple and effective way to reduce your home’s energy use and bill. Our team can help provide your home with more energy-efficient lighting as well.
If you are about to buy new appliances or will be in the near future, choose Energy Star products. Energy Star-qualified appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy than your standard appliances, making a huge difference in how much energy your home uses. Whether you are replacing your washer, dishwasher, fridge, or any other appliance, be sure to choose an Energy Star-certified product.
Pay Attention to Your Thermostat
While we all want to be comfortable while we are at home, you don’t have to waste energy while you are away. By lowering your thermostat by 10 degrees in the winter and raising it 10 degrees in the summer while you are not at home, you can use a lot less energy every year. Having a programmable thermostat is a great way to make this simpler and won’t rely on you remembering to change the temperature before leaving the house.
You can also turn on ceiling fans during the summer to help keep your space cool without turning your AC down too low while you are home. This will help save energy and keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
Check For Drafts
Homes, especially as they get older, are prone to drafts. Whether cracks form between your door and door jam or your windows don’t seal as well as they used to, drafts can waste a lot of energy. Drafts can make it harder to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you have outside air slowly leaking into your home and the cooled or warmed air in your home slowly leaking out, your home’s HVAC system will always be trying to play catch up and get your home back to the desired temperature. By sealing windows and making sure there are no drafts, you can help reduce how hard your HVAC system has to work, which will end up saving energy and money.
We can help you find any drafts your home may have. Our team is experienced and knowledgeable, and we know how to identify drafts and pinpoint where they are coming from. This makes it easier for our team, or you, to make the fixes necessary to save you money. We offer air sealing services as well, to ensure that the job is done right the first time.
Unplug Unused Chargers
We all are guilty of leaving our phone and computer chargers plugged into the wall even when not in use. These chargers, known as energy vampires, consume energy as long as they are plugged in. According to Energy.gov, a phone charger that is left plugged in consumes about 0.26 watts of energy and a charger being used consumes about 2.24 watts. While it may not seem like a lot, if you learn to unplug other items that are not being used, you could save 10 percent on your monthly utility bill. This is just a small thing that could make a big difference year after year.
Wash In Cold Water
Whenever possible, use cold water to wash your clothing. According to Treehugger, your washer uses 90 percent of energy to heat the water, and only 10 percent to run the washer. If you wash your clothing in cold water, it will save a lot of energy and money in the long run. Plus, this can be better for your clothing!
Upgrade Insulation
Insulation can help your home maintain the desired temperature. Similar to reducing air drafts in your home, when you upgrade your insulation, hot or cold air won’t be leaking in or out, allowing your HVAC to work less and saving energy. Adding insulation to your attic is the best option. If your attic isn’t insulated or isn’t properly insulated, be sure to get that taken care of. You will be surprised how much it reduces your energy bill.
Our team also offers residential insulation and HVAC services. We will do an energy audit on these features in your home and determine the best methods to make them more energy efficient.
These are a few of the many simple and effective ways to make your home more energy efficient. While you will likely not go out and buy all new appliances that are more energy efficient when you don’t need them, there are many other things you can do to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
We can do a whole-home energy audit to let you know where you can improve your home’s energy use. These audits are free for most homeowners and renters. With our residential energy services, we also can complete installation and upgrade projects for you. We offer services for lighting, HVAC, air sealing, windows and doors, and more! Contact us today to learn more and start working toward a more energy-efficient home.
Taylor Garske 