How to make your home more energy efficient

Home | 26 March 2019

Whether you are looking to shave some cost off of your energy bill or for ways to improve the environment, or both, this blog can help you learn more about making your home more energy efficient.

People often look for the big solutions for saving energy, and those are fantastic ways to lower your energy usage, but don’t discount the little tricks too. Crumbs make bread and even making small changes can lead to significant savings over time.

Here’s our short list of actionable ways you can make your home more energy efficient.

1. Streamline your Internet and network

Make sure that your computer, devices, and electronics are not vampires. A big waste of energy is charger cords that are plugged into a computer or a wall outlet and not being used. When you leave a charger cord plugged into the wall, it is using small amounts of energy even though it is not plugged into a device.

Outdated devices can also be energy hogs. If you have an older TV, upgrade to one that is energy efficient. The same goes for computer monitors, computers, and networking equipment.

2. Consider insulation upgrades

Upgrading the insulation in your home is a big product, but the rewards are a drop in the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home and a vastly improved indoor ambient environment.
Insulation helps to prevent energy bleed – the leaking of heated or cooled air from inside your house to the outdoors. The less energy your home uses the smaller its carbon footprint and the more money saved.

3. Replace weatherstripping on doors and windows

One of the few places on a home where there is no insulation is around doors and windows. Yet, those places are also prone to let in hot or cold air making it more challenging to create ambient room temperatures.

There are some easy to use products available at the local home improvement store that make this job a “breeze.” The benefit is two-fold. One, your home is snug and two, you help to keep out those creepy crawlies that slither in under the door.

4. Change the filters on your air conditioner

Regular air conditioner maintenance and filter replacement help the unit run efficiently. Filters should be replaced monthly or cleaned when possible. Clean filters not only help to decrease energy usage, but they also help to improve indoor air quality. This is an easy DIY project, or you can hire a service.

5. Use tech

Many home automation systems help to save energy by focusing on the routine in the home and shutting off energy features when they are not being used. An excellent example of this is a system that closes off the downstairs vents at night so you only heat the bedrooms, but that also knows people get up at 7 am and opens those same vents at 6:30 so that your home is comfortable.

Another example would be automatic blinds that open and close depending on the position of the sun. These let in morning light but close during the heat of the day. Technology offers many solutions that not only help homeowners to save energy and money but also improve the value of the property. Everything from smart thermostats to smart systems that use AI to create the perfect ambient environment for a fraction of the energy cost.