How to Increase Home Efficiency with Energy Savings Tips

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Home Efficiency: Consider Getting an Energy Audit 

You can’t address problems you don’t know exist. That’s why the first thing you should do when looking for ways to increase the efficiency of your household is to get an energy audit for your home. Many local utilities offer homeowners audits at no cost. Having a professional assess your house for wasteful conditions caused by things such as bad or degraded insulation and window leaks could help you identify areas for improvement that the U.S. Department of Energy says could save you up to $600 in a year. If you would prefer to have a do-it-yourself home energy audit, the U.S. Dept. of Energy show you how in this article.

Homeowners who want more in-depth audits can opt to pay for a more rigorous check that usually costs between $300 and $500. The added expense covers more specific testing using specialized equipment and typically lasts several hours. Tax credits are often available as incentives for pursuing energy-efficient home improvements. Brian Castelli of the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy points out that the cost is further justified by energy savings that could exceed 30 percent.

Energy Efficient Appliances Could Save Money & Help Home Efficiency

Appliances are big energy hogs that are often overlooked. Perhaps it’s because they’re designed to work without being thought about much. Whatever the reason, paying special attention to your home appliances is an important step to decreasing your carbon footprint.

Helpful Ways to Save Energy & Appliance Power Consumption:

• Look for appliances that have been tested for energy efficiency and rated under the Energy Star program.
• Set your freezer’s temperature between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-17.7 and -15 degrees Celsius) and your refrigerator’s temperature between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit (3.3 and 5.5 degrees Celsius).
• Keep oven and refrigerator doors closed when in operation, opening them only when necessary.
• Check seals for refrigerators, freezers, and ovens to make sure they work properly.
• Use power strips that can be switched off to provide power to multiple devices that don’t need to remain on.
• If you’re not using a device or appliance, unplug it, especially if you won’t use it for a long period.
• Don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine for partial loads.
• Keep your dryer’s lint filter clear.

Have Your Heating and Cooling System or HVAC Checked:

As the temperatures get hotter or colder, your resolve not to use your heat or air conditioning is likely to be tested severely. Even the notorious HVAC system can be coaxed into providing greater energy efficiency, so you can stay comfortable with minimal impact on the environment. Having heating and cooling experts check your system for proper performance and give it a tune-up could help keep it running as efficiently as possible. They may also be able to recommend more efficient options for your space that take advantage of modern home improvements. If you need guidance for looking at your HVAC system, DIY Network gives you some HVAC tips.

Every extra watt your home draws as a result of inefficiency puts a little more carbon into the environment. Doing your part to control your energy waste not only helps the planet, but also your wallet. For better home efficiency use these helpful tips throughout your home.

For more energy savings tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Home Improvement: Energy Saving Tips for the Cold

Image Via: Crisp Architects

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Thick Curtains & Sunlight

Sounds ironical! Doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t! What I mean to say is that one must let in lots of sun during the day and then trap the heat for the evening. Heavy curtains can help you achieve this  as they prevent heat loss through the windows and help in energy saving. If you do not wish to invest in new curtains, you can just add a layer of thermal lining to your existing curtains.  Also using curtains in door openings in addition to the windows can help a lot to trap the heat in. By the way, rugs also form very interesting door layers!

Image Via: Musso Design Group

Double Glazing

Double glazing is perhaps one of the most energy efficient ways to winterize your home. It can be expensive but is very effective in keeping the heat in. One cheap DIY technique involves sticking a film with the help of a double sided tape on your existing windows. Of course, it prevents you from opening the windows without taking off the film but who wants to open the windows in winters anyway!

Image Via: Merricks

Air Draught Excluders

Little air draughts from here and there can undo all your house warming efforts. Seal the window gaps using special sealant tapes, use keyhole covers for the little holes in the doors and use innovative ‘door snakes’ to keep the rooms warm. You will be amazed at how much heat loss you can prevent and the amount of energy saving you can do by filling in these small holes and gaps.

Image Via: Adrienne Chinn Design

Floor Layering

Adding layers has long been an effective way to trap in the warmth. We do that all the time with our clothing too! That thin layer of trapped air in between two layers of coverings can work wonders. It works great especially with the floors. Rugs and carpets were made to do just that – Keep your feet cosy in the cold winter months and by the way keep the room warmer too.

Image Via: AMW Design Studio

Prevent Chimney Leaks

Your fireplace might be keeping you warm when in use but it is bringing in the cold outside air when not in use. The colder air is heavier and finds a way into your home via the chimney vents. Chimney balloons are a very effective way of preventing cold air from coming inside but you have to be very careful about taking them off when wanting to use your fireplace. Another effective way is to install fireplace shutters that prevent the cold air from barging in.

Image Via: Elizabeth Dinkel

Winterizing your home means keeping your home warm using energy saving techniques and home decor ideas. Besides the ones mentioned above there are a few more that can come in handy. Simple ideas like keeping your furniture away from vents, keeping unused rooms locked during winters, using tin foil behind the radiators, changing your ceiling fan settings to winter settings etc can contribute in a big way. It would be nice to hear from you, as to how you winterize your home!

Click here for more Energy Saving Tips for your home.