Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency in Homes
Every month, like clockwork, we get those pleasant pieces of mail called utility bills. Some months they are not too bad while other months they almost send us into cardiac arrest. This page will give you ideas to help lower your monthly utility bills without breaking the bank.
In order to make your home more energy efficient you must first identify where problems exist. The least expensive way to accomplish this is to survey your homes independent components for their efficiency.
Heating and Air Conditioning
Heating and cooling a home is the single largest energy expense associated with homeownership. Examine the ductwork that is visible. Is all the ductwork properly connected? If not, make sure to get any air leaks properly sealed. A high efficiency system with improperly sealed ductwork will still yield high monthly energy costs.
Check the insulation in the attic, any exposed basement walls if applicable and the floor/ceiling joists in the basement. Are these areas properly insulated or do you need to add insulation? Another area to insulate is the electrical outlets on exterior walls. Home improvement stores have a variety of products for this simple inexpensive project. Is the weather-stripping around the doors providing a good seal? A simple way to check is to hold a lite incense stick close to the edges of the various closed exterior doors of your home. If you notice the smoke being pulled into the home you should consider replacing the weather-stripping.
Examine the caulking around the windows of your home. Properly caulk any cracked areas to prevent air infiltration. This will also help with moisture. If your home has single pane windows, consider the addition of storm windows to help add insulation.
When the fireplace is not in use, keep the damper closed. A chimney is designed to pull smoke and warm air out of the home. When a fire is not present the chimney continues to pull air out. (I learned about this one the hard way.)
Now that you have gotten all the projects done to help make you heating and air conditioning systems more efficient, you should set the temperature to the lowest comfortable setting for heating and the highest comfortable setting for cooling. You may find that by installing a programmable thermostat you also could save on your utility expense.
Water Heating
Another large utility expense is for hot water in the home. Several ways to increase your homes efficiency with hot water and save you money in the long run would be to lower the temperature on the water heater and insulate the hot water heater and exposed hot water lines. Should you need to replace your water heater consider upgrading to a high efficiency well insulated one or you could even go to a tankless system. The tankless systems are much more expensive but the savings could be worth it if you are going to be in your home for a while.
Two additional areas to help you save on hot water consumption involve the dishwasher and bathing. Rinsing dishes before you put them in the dishwasher is only necessary to remove dried on or baked on foods. Only start the dishwasher when it is full. Did you know that you use much less hot water by taking a shower opposed to a bath? (Unless of course you are my child.) Several years ago I had to explain to my son that the length of a shower should be determined by how long it took to get clean, not by when the water got cold.
For more information on energy efficiency for your home visit:
I hope you find the tips helpful in making your home more energy efficient and saving you money.
