Many homeowners want to save on their energy bills. There are plenty of easy ways to save that won’t cause any huge changes in lifestyle. The easiest way is to make your home more efficient. So here are some ideas for home efficiency that will help you save energy!
Landscape to Save Energy
Believe it or not, landscaping can help you save on your energy bills. Be smart with landscaping and make sure to plant trees on the south and west sides of your home. When fully grown, the trees will provide much needed shade in the summer but also provide sun in the winter through the bare branches. However, don’t forget to maintain landscaping so your trees don’t become a liability in winter. Also, when planting use low-maintenance plants that are native to the area. This will cut down on water usage, making your home more efficient.
Add or Use Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans great! Use them to your advantage to save energy and make your home more efficient. Ceiling fans use about the same amount of energy as a light bulb, making them less expensive than running your cooling or heating system. You’ll want to change the rotation of your fans depending on the seasons. During winter switch your fan blades to spin clockwise to help push the hot air down from the ceiling. During the summer switch the blades to counterclockwise to push cool air down. By doing this you can save up to 10% on your heating bill in the winter and possibly 40% in the summer!
Modify Your Most Used Lighting
Think about the five most used lights and rooms in your house. Change out any light bulbs that aren’t energy efficient and you could save up to 60 dollars a year. Most of the time the most used rooms and light fixtures tend to be outdoor lamps, kitchen fixtures, bathroom vanities, and the living room. So you can start in these rooms and convert older incandescent or compact fluorescent light bulbs to energy efficient LED bulbs. Once they’re replaced, start thinking about replacing the other lighting used in your house.
Wash with Cold Water
You can ignore the myth that you need to use hot water for whites. Instead use cold water and cold-water detergent to start saving. Also, when you go to dry your clothes use your dryers full load capacity.
Air Dry Dishes
Many dishwashers have a heat drying settings that dry your dishes without the maintenance of hand drying. Even though that’s extremely helpful, it isn’t efficient. Instead empty out your dishwasher and let your dishes air-dry. It might not be maintenance free, but it definitely is low-maintenance and efficient!
Match Your Pans to Your Burner
Most people don’t think about this, but when your pan doesn’t match the size of your burner you can lose a huge amount of the burners heat. So if you have an eight-inch burner, make sure to use an eight-inch pan.
Use Window Treatments
You might have installed them for decor purposes only, but you can use your window treatments to make your home more energy efficient! During the summer they can help keep unwanted heat out when you shut them. During the winter they can help keep the heat in. So stop looking at your window treatments as decor and utilize them to their full potential to help you save energy!