Make Your Home More Energy-efficient In 5 Easy Ways

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2 19 data  showed that a residential customer consumed an average of 877 kilowatt-hours (kWh) each month or a total of 10,649 kWhs annually. Among all US states, Louisiana had the highest yearly residential power consumption at 14,787 kWh for each resident while Hawaii had the lowest at 6,296 kWh for every resident.

It’s important to note that in many households, a lot of these kilowatt-hours of consumed electricity are wasted due to improper air sealing, which leads to wasteful leaks. On average, air leaks account for around 25 to 40 percent of a residential property’s monthly power use meant for heating and cooling purposes. Likewise, air leaks cause indoor air to get compromised and generally affect the comfort level felt by occupants.

Fortunately, air leaks and unnecessary energy wastage can be fixed and avoided with some simple techniques. Many of these tricks don’t cost anything, while some need minimal expenses but with outstanding benefits in terms of power savings.

Here are five easy ways to make your private residence more energy-efficient:

Get some shades

Your windows take in light and heat for most of the day, thereby serving as entry points for both factors that contribute to heating much of your indoor spaces. So, the best way to prevent sunlight from heating up your home and making your cooling system work double is to invest in products that offer much-needed shade.

There are local awning companies where you can buy awnings, canopies, and similar products that would suit your home’s design and your budget as well. If you have a patio that sits smack beside your home, then an awning would be a perfect investment as it would allow you to spend time outdoors even at noon.

These products won’t just offer you a comfortable stay in your yard, but they would also help lower down your monthly electrical consumption and beef up your home’s energy efficiency in the process.

Get a smart thermostat

It’s proven that turning down the thermostat goes a long way in cutting down a home’s power consumption. However, many homeowners just don’t do it, especially if they have a manual thermostat that requires them to adjust the thermostat whenever they need to change the indoor temperature. You can solve this by buying and installing a smart thermostat.

This revolutionary home device has nifty features that make life convenient for homeowners and help them save big on electricity. Among other great specs, smart thermostats can be easily programmed, controlled remotely via smartphone or tablet, ‘learn’ occupants’ cooling and heating habits and preferences, and even work with compatible smart devices.

Do a quick DIY energy audit

An energy audit will allow you to pinpoint areas in your home where you’re losing energy without benefiting from it. Additionally, the audit will give you an overview of your home’s energy status and provide you with important points of consideration concerning the prioritization of energy efficiency upgrades.

You can simply follow these steps listed by the Office of Energy Saver to complete your DIY home energy audit. It costs nothing but could lead to tremendous power savings that you’ll surely appreciate.

Periodically replace your AC filters

Your home’s air conditioning system has a filter that gets dirty over time. When it’s already full of allergens, the AC system won’t function optimally and could also serve as a health hazard, particularly as it serves as a haven for allergens. Additionally, the AC will have to work twice as hard as it would normally, which could spike your monthly power bills.

The easiest way to address such problems is to replace the air filters periodically. You may do so at the start of the fall season and then another during springtime. The process is pretty straightforward, so you won’t have to call in service providers to do the job as it’s perfectly within a DIYer’s skill set.

Go for energy-efficient lighting products

Your home consumes electricity during the day and throughout the night. The majority of your electrical consumption is allotted for your lights, both indoors and outdoors. As such, you should invest in energy-efficient lighting products if you haven’t done it yet.

For a start, buy LED bulbs and swap them out with the CFLs or incandescent bulbs that you use (provided you’re still using them). LED lights are hands down the best lighting products in terms of energy efficiency, as well as eco-friendliness since they last longer than other lighting options.

You may also invest in timers and sensors, so the lights would turn off in pre-set times or when the sensors sense that it’s night (turn on) or day (turn off).

Just heed these five easy tricks and you’ll surely see your monthly power consumption dropping soon.