When trying to improve the energy efficiency of your home, the idea is to work smarter, not harder. Your home’s way of doing this is to continue to do the same tasks while using less power. To make your home more efficient, you need to have a renewed focus on how you use energy in your home. For instance, take time to think about where, when, and how you utilize energy.
This will help you see areas where you are not making the best use of your energy. As you do that, you can also combine your efforts with regular home maintenance and attend to things like hardwood flooring services, pool leak repair, and interior stairs repair. This, together with better efficiency, will improve the value of your home. Here’s how to increase home energy efficiency.
Change Air Filters
Most people ignore this simple task when trying to figure out how to increase home energy efficiency. This may not be your favorite task, but it works wonders when it comes to improving the efficiency of your air conditioner, which helps to improve the energy efficiency of your entire home. Your air filter’s job is to ensure that you breathe clean air.
However, as this happens, the air filter ends up clogged. This makes it difficult for the heating and cooling system to draw air out of the filter. As you might imagine, when your HVAC or pellet stove starts working overtime like this, it consumes a lot of energy. To prevent this from happening, you need to change your air filter regularly. This will reduce the amount of work your heating and cooling system needs to do to keep your home safe.
There are several air filters to choose from. Some are washable, and some need to be replaced as soon as they are clogged. The type of air filter you choose and the frequency of replacement also depend on the conditions of the area you stay in. If you stay where there’s lots of dust, you will need to replace your air filter regularly. You can also ask an expert who specializes in air conditioning repair services to recommend the best type of filter.
Insulation
It’s important to understand the way insulation works so you can figure out how to increase home energy efficiency. All materials in your home allow heat to pass through. The idea behind insulation is to reduce the amount of heat transferred through materials like plasterboard, brick, glass, and metal. This is achieved by providing resistance to the entry and exit of heat from buildings.
That way, you can minimize the need to heat and cool spaces. Ideally, you should install insulation in the walls, ceilings, floors, and other areas of your home to create a sealed envelope that acts like a barrier that keeps heat inside in winter and outside during the warmer months.
Insulating your home is probably one of the most important steps you can take to improve its energy efficiency. Apart from that, insulation can also help you to create a comfortable environment in the home. By insulating your home, you can increase energy efficiency by up to 50%.
This is because your heating and cooling systems won’t have to work extra hard to maintain the temperature you want inside your home. Insulation also eliminates condensation on walls and ceilings. Within five to six years, you will be able to recoup your insulation costs from lower energy bills.
Switch to More Energy Efficient Lighting
Did you know that traditional incandescent lights use most of the energy they consume to create heat? As a result, a lot of the energy consumed by bulbs is not converted to light, and this causes massive energy wastage. When trying to figure out how to increase home energy efficiency, you should consider switching to LED lights.
You must consider replacing every incandescent bulb in your home with an LED light. Unlike traditional lights, LED lights work by emitting light in one direction. This means there will be no need to use diffusers and reflectors. This makes the bulbs a lot more energy efficient than the older types.
An LED light uses 75% less energy than an incandescent light. Apart from massive energy savings, these lights also have a lifespan that’s 25 times longer. You can get LED lights in different shapes, colors, and wattages. This means you can express your personality while making your home more energy-efficient.
Automated Power Usage
One of the ways to improve energy efficiency at home is to automate your power usage. For instance, you can install a smart thermostat to reduce your heating and cooling costs. Installing a smart thermostat has been shown to reduce the cost of heating and cooling by up to 15%. This device works by studying your habits, and then it adjusts the temperature accordingly. For instance, if you regularly turn the temperature down before you go to bed, the thermostat will start making that adjustment automatically.
Smart thermostats can also be controlled using an app. So, even if you forget to turn off the HVAC and you realize it while at work, you can still do it remotely. The ability to control the thermostat remotely also enables you to make changes if your schedule changes unexpectedly.
Another thing you can automate is your lighting. For instance, you can install automated lighting that dims during certain periods to save electricity. Another great way to save energy with lighting is to use motion sensors. That way, you can program them such that the lights turn off as soon as you leave a room. This will help you save a lot, and you will notice a change in your utility bills.
Eliminate Phantom Power Consumption
Phantom power should be at the top of your list when you are trying to understand how to increase home energy efficiency. Phantom power is notorious when it comes to using up energy unnecessarily in the home. Did you know that your appliances can keep using power even after you switch them off? Modern appliances do this so they can be up and running as soon as possible the moment you want to use them.
For instance, your television will get into standby mode when you switch it off so that it can turn on automatically when one of your favorite TV shows comes on. This results in a situation where your appliances will be consuming a lot of power even when you think they are switched off.
There are several ways to eliminate phantom power in your home. One of the best ways to do that is to use a power bar. You can plug all your countertop appliances and devices into a programmable power bar. Programmable power bars and smart adapters can be set to switch off at certain times. For instance, you can program it to turn off at night when no one is using the appliances.
The power bars cut off power entirely so that appliances don’t consume power without you knowing. A power bar can also be programmed to switch off everything if the main appliances are turned off. For instance, you can plug the television into the main socket and program the bar such that cable boxes, PVRs, and video game consoles turn off as soon as you switch off the TV.
Go For Darker Drapes
People tend to focus on complicated things when trying to figure out how to increase home energy efficiency. Have you noticed that you need to lower the thermostat in some of the rooms in your home? You may even notice that some of the rooms in your home seem hotter than others. This is probably because of the sun’s impact on that particular room.
Fortunately, there are ways to cool that room without overworking your cooling system. The best way to go about this is to purchase blackout curtains. This way, the room won’t receive as much sun, and the temperatures will be the same as the other rooms or even lower.
These drapes live up to their name. You will find that soon after installing them; your room will be super dark. Most people like to use them in their bedrooms to help lower the temperatures before bedtime. One of the most significant benefits of blackout drapes is that they are quite affordable. You can get a pack containing six units for an affordable price. Also, they are made using different materials, and they come in different sizes. You will therefore find something to suit the type and size of windows you have in your home.
Use Appliances Wisely
Did you know that you make your home more efficient without spending anything?’ It’s important to incorporate free cost-free methods when trying to understand how to increase home energy efficiency. Sometimes all you need to do is change your habits. Appliances like dishwashers and washing machines can be quite convenient, and they make life easier.
However, they could be the reason why your utility bills are always super high. For instance, each time you do your laundry and clean dishes, the water heater will kick in. Hot water is needed to do these tasks, and sometimes, there’s no way around it. However, you can change the way you use the dishwasher. For instance, instead of running it whenever there are two dirty plates, you can wait until there’s a full load.
Doing all your hot water chores at the same time can help you save a lot. Apart from waiting until there’s a full load of dishes, you can also wait until there’s enough laundry to fill up the washing machine. That way, your water heater won’t be running all day long. Instead, it will only run during the times you are washing dishes and clothes simultaneously.
You may not realize how much energy you consume by staggering appliance runs all day long. For instance, you probably wash the dishes, take a warm shower, and do the laundry at different times. Because of this, the water heater will run three times in a single day.
Invest in Roof Repairs
Roofs play a huge role in protecting your home from harsh weather conditions. This is why you need to invest in regular roof maintenance. Without proper maintenance, your roof can increase your expenses. This is why you need to focus on the roof when figuring out how to increase home energy efficiency. Roof neglect can lead to decreased energy efficiency.
For instance, a poorly maintained roof can end up transferring heat to the indoors if your house is in an area without shade. Under normal circumstances, heat shouldn’t be able to move from the outdoor area to the indoors through the roof. Fortunately, roof maintenance can help you limit the amount of heat transfer.
One of the ways to ensure that your roof doesn’t cause an increase in energy costs is to improve ventilation. This will allow adequate airflow between the attic and the outside of your home. If your roof is poorly ventilated, hot air can be trapped in the upper parts of your home, and this can cause an increase in indoor temperature. To improve airflow, you can install some vents along with the lower points of your roof.
This will allow cool air to flow in. Apart from that, you can also place more openings on the higher ends to enable the risen hot air to escape. Ensuring that your roof has enough airflow will help you control the indoor temperature better, and this will eventually reduce the strain on your HVAC system. If you aren’t sure how to go about improving your roof’s ventilation, you can hire a residential roofing service.
Find the Holes
When it comes to insulation, you should continue looking for gaps in your home that allow air to leave and enter. Now that you have managed to sort out the attic, you should look for other problem areas. Did you know that gaps in your windows and doors can cause your HVAC to work overtime? Closing these gaps is a significant step when figuring out how to increase home energy efficiency.
The air transfer that occurs through these holes can be minimized or eliminated by caulking door frames and window panes. Caulk is quite good at plugging all the small gaps in your home. This will lower the workload for your HVAC. As far as windows, you can also look for a custom insulated glass install if you want to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
These are some of the things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Apart from improving your home’s energy efficiency, you must take care of your home so that it can take better care of you. Apart from improving your home’s energy efficiency, you must also take time to invest in general home maintenance; for instance, you may need to hire drain cleaning services, take on a basement waterproofing service, or structural foundation repair from time to time.