Reaping significant energy savings at home is easy and affordable when you know where and how energy loss and waste is occurring throughout the house. In fact, you’ll discover that many ways to save home energy simply involve changing some habits and mindless behaviors, yet cost absolutely nothing to do. Then again, there are some home improvements that have a low upfront cost, but the monthly energy money savings make them worth implementing.
Increase Your Energy Savings At Home with these 10 no-cost, low-cost tips:
Home Exterior Improvement
1. Insulate your attic, walls, and crawl spaces to lower your energy usage by up to 30 percent. Since the energy savings attic insulation provides is substantially reduced if moisture can pass through the ceiling, use a vapor barrier under the attic insulation to keep water from causing structural damage.
2. Weatherize your doors and windows with caulk, weather-stripping and plastic window sheeting. Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, duct work or electrical wiring penetrates through walls, floors and ceilings. If you can see daylight or feel air around a window or door frame, that’s a clear sign they need sealed.
Water Conservation Facts
3. Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth. This is one of those ways to save home energy that involves breaking a bad habit. You can save up to 8 gallons of water per day or 240 gallons a month by getting this mindless behavior under control.
4. Install low-flow faucets and shower heads. These saving energy devices help you save money in a couple of ways. They use less water to get the job done which requires less energy to pump the water to your house putting less demand on your hot-water heater.
Home Thermal Energy
5. Adjust your thermostat settings to 68 degrees or lower during the winter months. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save roughly 3% on your home thermal energy bills. Automate saving thermal energy by installing a programmable heating thermostat that allows you to adjust your temperature setting according to a preset schedule.
6. Use insulated draperies to increase your energy savings at home, particularly for windows that are facing north and west. Insulated drapes and window treatments also help with noise pollution. Close them at night to keep warm air in and open them during the day to allow the sun’s rays to shine through.
Saving Electricity Tips
7. Unplug devices or use smart power strips to increase your energy savings at home up to $400 annually. There are many appliances and devices that continue to use electricity after they turn off. Computer, televisions, microwave ovens and even cell phone chargers are just a few devices guilty of this. According to the Department of Energy, 15 percent of your home energy costs directly results from power consumed in this way.
8. Lower your hot-water heater settings to 120 degrees to save 3 to 5 percent in home thermal energy costs. You can increase your energy savings at home further by installing an insulating blanket for water heaters and by insulating the water pipes coming out of your heater.
Energy Light Savings
9. Switch to fluorescent compact bulbs to increase your energy light savings by 75 to 80 percent. Not only do fluorescent compact light bulbs use considerably less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs, they last up to 10 times longer.
10. Turn off lights when you leave a room. This is yet another one of those ways to save home energy that will need discipline and diligence if you are in the habit of leaving lights on whether you are using them or not.