We will look at the facts that can help our homes to become more energy efficient in order to achieve a minimum 6-star rated house at the same time minimizing the energy cost. Here are the 10 steps starting with the less complicated and inexpensive ones, moving upwards to the more technically complex ones.
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1. Programmable thermostat
Trust us, you need a good quality thermostat. A programmable thermostat understands when the house is empty or when it’s using too much power and adjusts the temperature accordingly without any help from you.
2. Lightning
The lighting system of your home can cause up to 11% of the total energy consumption. But using modern technologies such as LED lighting you can drop that to 75%.
3. Smart power strips
Most of the regular power strips draws a little amount of energy even when they are now in use. Experiments showed that using smart power strips can cut that extra energy from 14 Watt to 2.4 Watt.
4. Water heating
Residential water heaters use 15-20% of the total energy of the entire home. It can be reduced on a large scale by adopting the following methods –
- Water heater blanket
- Low flow shower head
- Using cold water setting on washing machine
5. Window insulator
The windows of your home leaks a lot of air outside and they are generally poor insulator if not maintained properly. To keep the home at a comfortable temperature by reducing external energy sources can do the followings –
- Use plastic window treatment
- Install storm windows
- Change the old ones with double or triple glazed windows
6. Air sealing
In most cases air leaks through the door and wall gaps. Even 2% of leaked air goes through your outlets and switch boards. To prevent this air leakage you can –
- Install weather or air stripping around doors
- Use an extra plastic layer under outlets and switch boards
- Insulate unused fire place
7. Check your furnace
Change the filters regularly, the ordinary ones have 30 days lifespan. If you are using one of those, make sure you keep it updated. Check leaks at duct connections – use metal burial or metal tape to seal if there any leakage. Consider buying a new furnace if it’s a really old one. Hire a technician to give an annual check.
8. Appliances
Most of your home appliances use electricity to run. The older they are the more energy they need to keep going. Instead of using the old ones it’s a better idea to upgrade for new, energy rating labelled, more efficient ones.
9. Insulation
Adding insulation all over the house is complex and expensive but insulation save you more money on your electricity bills than any other ways we’ve previously mentioned. Places to look for insulation are –
- The attic
- Knee wall cavity
- Foundation walls in basement and crawl space
10. Landscaping
A proper landscaping can play a vital role in the homes overall energy efficiency, providing protection against the wind in winter and shelter from solar radiation in summer.
Here is a beautiful infographic shared with us by Senator Windows summarizing the key steps to improve energy efficiency of your home:
Conclusion
It doesn’t always take a big investment for big savings.
Just a few well planned steps and you can save yourself from a huge amount electricity bills as well as contributing to energy efficient living. Finally to ensure your home is in the right track regarding energy consumption, get a home energy audit done consulting your nearest energy efficiency consultant.