If you’re wondering how you can make your home more energy-efficient while not affecting its coziness, read on. You will find five tips you can use to lower your home’s energy expenditure this winter.
Keep Your HVAC Maintained
The first tip is to make sure that your HVAC system is well-maintained. Doing this will leave you with a system that works efficiently, warming the house with less effort and therefore using less energy. If it has been a while since you serviced your HVAC, call in a technician to do it right now before the weather changes and you put the unit under a heavier constraint than it’s currently under. By performing proper maintenance on your HVAC system, you can bring down your home’s energy bill by a whopping 30%, so don’t ignore this tip.
Use Efficient Appliances
To make sure everyone at home enjoys all the convenience of living in the modern age while saving you from spending a fortune, get energy-efficient appliances. Change any old, regular appliances you have with modern, Energy Star rated ones which will see you use less energy while getting the same benefits you’re used to. You can dispose of the old ones and get new ones which will practically pay for themselves in a short time by using less energy.
Get Window Shades and Blinds
The heat that is lost through the doors and windows cannot be ignored as it’s substantial. Minimize it as much as possible by getting shades and blinds for your home before winter and you will find it easier to keep your house warm with less effort on your HVAC’s part. You can get aluminum blinds, which are one of the most durable and low-maintenance window treatments on the market. The fact that they’re available for all sizes of windows makes sure that you will find some for your entire home. Install them before winter and have your family keep them closed at the right times to see an improvement in your energy expenditure.
Weather-Proof Your Home
Now is a great time to make sure your home is weather-proofed. This involves checking the insulation around your doors, windows, and attic as well, and sealing any cracks and spaces you find. When you do this, it will be possible for you to get the house warm and keep it that way for a longer time with your HVAC turned to a moderate degree of heat. Apply caulk to spaces between stationary objects like walls and window frames, and weather stripping to moving ones like doors and windows, and you will have effectively weatherized your home for winter.
Take Shorter Showers
The final tip is to start taking shorter showers as a family, with the water turned to a moderate temperature. When you get into this habit as a family, you will see changes in your energy usage because showering alone accounts for over 17% of the water you use indoors at home. Shorter showers will mean less water flowing down the drain and you will be able to avoid paying a hefty fee for water in the end. Make sure that you have modern showers which spread the water while maintaining good pressure and using less water, and you will all enjoy showering knowing that you’re not wasting water.
It’s easy to lower your home’s energy expenses once you know where to start and what to do. Simply follow the five tips above and when you regularly make an effort to minimize energy expenditure, you will find it easier to do overtime.