There are a number of reasons why someone might wish to increase the energy efficiency of their home. Not only does the environmental impact of the standard household tend to run more on the negative side of the spectrum, but working to save on energy usage in your house is also a great way to cut back on your monthly spending as well.
Many people might find themselves hesitant to make such changes to how they run their households due to misconceptions about energy-efficient changes. For instance, you might think that one of the top ways of saving on your energy bill is to run your central heating system less in the winter. This can make for an uncomfortable climate in your house, however.
Thankfully, there are changes to be made to your home that can help you to reduce your energy usage without making things less comfortable in your home. By taking such steps towards a more energy-efficient household, you can do your part for the environment and save on your monthly utilities without compromising on the comfort of your style of living.
With that in mind, here are a few things that you can do in order to make your home more energy-efficient.
Change Out Your Window Treatments
From a design perspective, window treatments like blinds and curtains are a great way to tie a room’s overall décor together. They add an extra dimension to your windows and can make things feel and look cozy and comfortable.
Window treatments also play a functional role in your home. They help to block out the light and give you an extra degree of privacy as well. However, if your goal is to increase your home’s energy efficiency, there is an extra function that your chosen window treatments can play in addition to these.
When you opt for energy-efficient window treatments, you can keep the cold out and the heat in during the year’s colder months. They also grant you a greater level of control when it comes to the overall climate of your home. With the right window treatments, your central heating won’t have to work overtime to combat the external temperatures of your house.
Therefore, if you were wondering Why choose energy efficient window treatments, wonder no more! The reasons for making this swap are too many to pass on and will go a long way to helping you to make your household more energy efficient.
Switch Out Your Lightbulbs
Another relatively simple swap that you can make in your home to achieve your goal of reaching a higher level of energy efficiency at home involves the lightbulbs you are currently using. Standard lightbulbs use more energy than is actually necessary and could be costing you more than you realize when it comes to your energy bill.
If you took the time to count up the number of lightbulbs in your home, you might be surprised at how many there actually are. Light tends to be something that is taken for granted in the home. It is always there when you need it in any room of your home. However, so much use when it comes to light comes at a cost.
By making the switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs, you can reduce that cost significantly throughout the course of the year and use less energy overall. This will result in a lower energy bill for you at the end of the month and a more energy-efficient household overall.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
For most people, the colder months of the year are the ones where their household uses the most energy. This is because shorter days mean more use of artificial lighting, and colder temperatures means an increased use of your home’s central heating system.
However, when it comes to the latter point, you might very well be using far more energy throughout the winter when trying to keep your home comfortable than necessary. One simple way to rectify this is to install a programmable thermostat in your home.
A programmable thermostat will keep the temperature in your home consistent and comfortable all winter long. It will stop your central heating from running once it reaches the temperature that you prefer. You can also set the thermostat to a lower temperature when you know that you won’t be at home for an extended period of time. This will prevent unnecessary energy usage when no one is at home.
Watch Out for Little Energy Wasters
Once you have addressed the bigger energy issues in your home, you will want to turn your attention to the less noticeable energy wasters. These are the things that are slowly but surely wasting energy, sometimes without you even realizing it. They might not seem like they are worth the consideration, but when all is said and done, such things can really contribute to your energy usage.
Take, for example, the matter of smart devices that need to be charged up. Ask yourself how often you leave chargers for such devices plugged into the wall sitting idle. If this is a habit in your household, now is the time to change. Even leaving chargers plugged in idle can slowly eat up energy that isn’t being used at all.
Other ways to address smaller energy wasters include switching your larger appliances to an energy-efficient mode and making sure that you switch off all the lights when you leave the room. Even if you think that the impact of such changes will be minimal, they will really add up at the end of the day.
It is important that you take the time to explain such changes to everyone in your household so that everyone is invested in the same cause and that they all understand what you are trying to achieve. The best way to truly transform your home into a more energy-efficient household is to get everyone on board with the changes that you intend to make.