Making your house more energy efficient is not only recommendable, but it is practically mandatory if you’re thinking about putting your house on sale someday, as the main thing all house buyers wish to know is how much you can save due to energy improvements. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to lower energy consumption around your house. You can begin by changing some of your habits for starters, and decide on the more challenging tasks later. Now, let’s see how it’s done.
Invest in insulation
Let’s start with the most obvious solution for preserving energy – proper insulation. Admittedly, you may have already decided to insulate your walls, but here is what else you could do:
- Insulate the attic – it is often overlooked, yet this is how most of the warmth is lost during winter months, and the heat easily gets into your home via an unfinished attic. For this reason, call the experts or choose the right insulation for your DIY project. Bear in mind, though, that professionals will be using infrared lights for voids after the installation process, which ensures great results.
- Mind the doors – start with the front door. If you can, buy yourself a new, high-quality one, which will guarantee no signs of draught this time. Don’t forget about the second most important exterior door – the one to your garage. A shabby garage door is a real energy hazard. Fortunately, nowadays there is a myriad of quality garage doors on the market. The type which has shown to be the most popular is the sectional garage door, as it comprises safety, good insulation and easy operating.
Let there be light
But not any light. Incandescent light bulbs are already a thing of the past, so if you haven’t replaced all the light bulbs with CFLs, you’re lagging behind. Compact fluorescent lamps, aka CFLs, have proven to be much more efficient (they use 70% less energy compared to the traditional ones). Even though they are a tad pricier, considering how many hours of light they provide, it’s all worth it.
One more option is to use the LED lights, which at the moment cost more than CFLs, but still, pay off in the long run and the price is expected to drop. By replacing all the light bulbs in your household, you’ll be able to greatly increase your energy efficiency.
Do the laundry
Basically, do it properly this time. First of all, always pack the full load. Otherwise, you are only wasting time and money since the machine uses the same amount of energy for both full and half loads. Secondly, reconsider the temperature for some garments. If possible, wash your clothes at lower degrees. It is the temperature maintenance that wastes the most energy.
Buy a laptop
In case you have a desktop, get rid of it. A laptop uses much less energy, and you do know it’s more practical.
Unplug and unwind
Unplugging has become quite trendy nowadays, but we’re not talking about switching off your mobile phones here. Do not let the chargers remain in the sockets when they aren’t used. In addition, see if you can have a socket with on/off switch, so you can immediately turn off several appliances which otherwise would be on standby. A minor change, but its benefits add up over time.
Go shopping
And buy energy-efficient appliances. Of course, you are aware of the fact that the new generations are much more energy saving, but which appliance should be your priority? Not all of us are able to instantly replace all the household appliances.
The very first energy-guzzling machine you should replace is the clothes dryer. Quite shockingly, your dryer consumes the same amount of energy as the washing machine, fridge and dishwasher.
Energy efficient washing machines will save you at least $50 per year, whereas the newest refrigerators can be 40% more energy efficient compared to the models from 2001, for instance.
Therefore, do invest in new machines, as the old ones are just wasting your money with every use.
A little endeavour goes a long way. Think about the priorities, and make a sound plan for turning your house into a modern, energy-preserving home.