Quick highlights of the seven most energy-efficient air conditioners: Key Takeaways Certainly. After reading the article, here are 5 key […]
With issues like climate change and global warming, the whole world is on a mission to reduce energy consumption and turn to green energy. People are constantly looking for alternatives to everyday activities that will produce a lower carbon footprint.
The best thing about this quest to make the world more energy efficient is that it can help you save costs, too, so basically, you are killing two birds with one stone.
Further Reading: 10 Real Benefits Of LED Lights For Your Home And Business
What Are Energy Efficient Homes?
Energy-efficient homes are simply homes that reduce the consumption of non-renewable energy.
This is a recent trend that homeowners are following to reduce their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, which are affecting the environment negatively.
Reducing energy usage also means a cut in the electricity bill, so making your home energy efficient is a gift that keeps on giving.
The good news is you can start today with very little investment because making your home energy efficient is a journey, not a single task.
If you are ready to begin the journey, this is the perfect place to start because we will go over ways you can reduce your home’s energy usage.
The tips and processes discussed in this article are budget-targeted, so for the most part, you won’t spend much money, and the rewards are massive.
Making Your Home Energy Efficient
Many people imagine this would involve buying new devices and gadgets, but the truth is you can cover half the journey of making your home energy efficient without buying or replacing a single device.
Most of the energy we consume is not actually used by us, but rather, it is often wasted. The following steps will help you reduce energy waste.
1. Proper insulation
A lot of energy is lost due to a lack of proper insulation, whether it is hot and you are using a fan or air conditioner, or it is cold and you are using a heater. I
If your home is not properly insulated, all the energy you generate to counter the weather conditions ends up being lost to the environment without you consuming it.
There are three key areas you need to insulate in your home: the walls, the floor, and the roof:
The Walls: This is necessary, especially if your home is detached (stand-alone) and has no neighbouring houses attached to it.
This exposure causes the house to lose energy from all sides. The first thing to do is check which kind of walls you have, whether they are cavity or solid walls. Then, the material used for the walls also plays a role in determining the kind of insulation you need to use.
The Floor: Insulation is required for the ground floor of your home and any floor that is above an unheated room, such as a garage.
Installing insulators such as rugs, spray foam and rigid boards on your floor helps reduce the escape of heat. The material used for your floor determines the best insulation, so make sure to check that.
The Roof: Most roofs are installed with some sort of insulation such as ceilings but you need to confirm the effectiveness of yours if you have one. Depending on whether you have a pitched or flat roof, your choice of insulation will be different.
2. Change windows and doors
Most homes have single-panel or glazed doors and windows, and these are susceptible to heat loss. You should consider replacing them with windows and doors that have two or three layers of insulation.
But the most cost-efficient way is to tint windows since the color black doesn’t conduct heat well, so the heat loss through windows will be drastically reduced.
Leaving the blinds open ensures the circulation of air, which regulates the temperature in your home, making you use less energy.
3. Using LED light bulbs
One of the most effective ways of turning your home green is by installing LED lights.
Traditional light bulbs produce light with heat, and the heat is usually wasted because most houses have thermostats already. LED lights are made with more recyclable materials, cost less and last longer.
Further Reading: 10 Benefits Of LED Lights Over Traditional Lighting
4. Install solar panels
Solar panels use the energy from the sun to power your home, even at night. Installing solar panels reduces the use of carbon products such as gasoline, and this reduces your home’s carbon footprint.
The solar panels can be installed on your roof, and you can have batteries that store the energy for nighttime.
5. Switch off appliances not in use
This might be the most underrated tip, but it accounts for the most energy waste.
Leaving home appliances such as fans and light bulbs on when they are not in use might seem like it has no effect, but when piled up, they make up most of your electricity bill.
This goes for all appliances such as fans, boilers, televisions, etc. So, ensure all unused appliances are switched off.
Further Reading: How To Reduce Your Home Electricity Bills
6. Use programmable thermostats
Your thermostat controls the temperature in your house, so installing one you can control makes your home much more energy efficient.
These programmable thermostats don’t cost much, and they make a lot of difference. You can easily set the required temperature depending on the weather, so you don’t waste energy.
7. Install energy-efficient appliances
This is where you can make massive changes, as most appliances we own consume energy heavily without us even realizing it.
Light bulbs were discussed above as an example, but it goes deeper than that. There are appliances that have green versions that can help you preserve energy, and we will discuss them below.
Heat pump water heater
A heat pump water heater works by pulling heat from the surrounding air and passing it through a water chamber that heats water in a tank.
This reduces energy usage because this appliance generates its own heat from the surroundings. These devices are amazing because they cost less than traditional water heaters and have a smaller carbon footprint.
Air Conditioners
Modern air conditioners use 30% to 50% less energy as compared to older ones because they generate their own energy from the surroundings. They use the principle of condensation to convert hot air into cool air, thereby reducing energy usage.
Energy monitoring devices
There are devices that report your energy consumption in a detailed manner, which is useful to keep things in check. However, most of this is now on smartphones where there are apps that report all your energy usage remotely.
Some even give you the ability to control energy usage by turning appliances on or off, which is mostly seen in smart homes.
How do I choose the right LED bulb for my home?
Let’s pick the perfect LED bulb for your house!
Four things matter: how bright it is, its color, shape, and base. Brightness is all about lumens, not watts. More lumens translate into more light. Bulb color is measured in kelvins; this indicates the color temperature.
Lower kelvins mean a warm, yellow light. Higher? A cool, blue light. The bulb shape depends on your light fixture and personal style. Choices range from standard to globe, candle to spot.
How do I know if my home needs more insulation?
Just measure how thick the insulation is in the attic, walls, and floors or spot issues like temperature changes, drafts, icy roof edges, or big energy bills. How much insulation you need depends on your local weather and the insulation type.
How can I measure how much energy my appliances use?
You can use a device called an energy meter to measure how much power your appliances use. An energy meter plugs into a wall socket and displays the wattage, voltage, current, and cost of the appliance that is connected to it.
You can use an energy meter to compare different appliances, identify the most energy-hungry ones, and calculate your potential savings.
How can I tell if my windows are energy efficient?
Check their labels or ratings.
Windows that have Energy Star or National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) certification meet exceptional energy performance standards. The decals or scores tell you about the window’s U-factor, which measures how well it stops heat loss.
They also show the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), rating how well it resists solar heat. Another detail to look for is visible transmittance (VT), which signifies how much light can get through. Lastly, check the air leakage (AL), which shows how much air can escape.
Usually, lower U-factors and SHGCs, and higher VTs and ALs, indicate that windows are more energy-efficient.
How does a smart thermostat work?
It learns from you! It adapts to your lifestyle, picking up on whether you’re home or not to tweak the temperature accordingly. It understands your patterns, weekly and daily, shaping a unique heat and cool schedule to fit you.
Not only that, but some can even link up with other high-tech gadgets, like sensors, cams, or speakers. They react to voice cues, movement, or geofencing.
Want to set up your smart thermostat yourself? No problem, manual programming is available or you can use an app and adjust the settings wherever you are.
Conclusion
Making your home energy efficient is one of the best decisions you will make. Not only will you be helping to save the planet, but you will also get a massive cut in your electricity bill.
With technologies like solar panels, you might never have to pay for electricity again because they can produce enough energy to fuel your entire home.
So, no matter whether you live in a hot or cold area, you can always find ways to reduce your energy usage and carbon footprint because, as you can see, it’s not that difficult.
