Your home’s energy bills can really add up month-to-month. When you take steps to reduce your energy usage, you can see appreciable savings. Here are some simple but effective things that you can do that will make your home more energy-efficient.
Replace Your Old Water Heater
A water heater that’s a relic can consume a ton of your home’s energy. It can create a huge demand on your energy if you use hot water more than once in a single day by showering, running a load of laundry on warm or hot, and running your dishwasher. Ideally, you should be able to do all of these tasks without worrying about the impact to your energy bill. For example, if you live in California and you’re interested in getting help from a water heater company, work with an experienced service provider who can give you a couple of different options on energy-efficient models that will meet your home’s needs. With a new water heater, you can lose less energy and get more consistent heating performance.
Get Routine Maintenance on Your HVAC System
One of the most effective ways to save energy from your home and make it more efficient is to have your HVAC system serviced. Cooling costs often comprise the largest percentage of a home’s energy use during the summertime. However, your system may be working much harder than it needs to simply because it hasn’t been serviced. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t have their systems maintained regularly. Instead, they wait until they notice a problem such as a leak or until their system stops working altogether. HVAC systems need ongoing maintenance and cleaning in order to perform well. In particular, your unit’s evaporator coils need to be cleaned annually. Over time, these grate-like components become clogged with dust and debris, and it makes it difficult for air to pass through. Your system will struggle to keep up with your cooling needs, and you may get condensation on your system. Moreover, you may be spreading unclean air around your home. Get your system cleaned and calibrated to keep it working efficiently. If your system is more than ten years old, you might consider replacing it for a new energy-efficient model.
Get a Programmable Thermostat
Another great way to better manage your HVAC usage is to install a programmable thermostat. You can set the system’s schedule to match your schedule and turn itself up and down automatically so you won’t have to worry about it. In addition, you can change your system’s settings remotely if you realize that you’ve forgotten to change it before leaving the house.
Insulate Your Home
A lot of a home’s cool air will dissipate quickly if certain areas aren’t well-insulated. The top floor of your home, which takes on the greatest amount of the heat from the sun, will warm up almost as fast as you can cool it if your attic or crawl space has no insulation. The sides of your home can also be insufficient to keep in cold air well if they don’t have any type of insulation. Adding foam insulation or other insulation materials can make it easier to cool your home and save you from having to use an excessive amount of energy on cooling.
Upgrade Your Household Appliances
If you’re not happy with any of your appliance’s performance lately, you might want to consider getting new energy-efficient appliances. When a large appliance such as a refrigerator isn’t working well, it may also be drawing more energy as it struggles along. Upgrading some of your home’s appliances including your refrigerator or other large appliances such as your dishwasher or laundry machines can help you use fewer kilowatts on running them.
Taking steps to use less energy offers several substantial benefits. You can reduce your monthly energy bills, increase the value of your home, make your home more comfortable, and do your part to minimize your carbon footprint and live more sustainably.
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