Making your home more energy efficient is the perfect way to lower your energy costs and save money while also living in a way that will help the environment. Maybe you want to reduce your environmental footprint. If so, check out these five ways that you can make your home more energy efficient.
1. Proper Insulation
If you live in an older home your home probably doesn’t have enough insulation. It also probably has outdated insulation that isn’t as effective as insulation made from modern materials.
Get a professional to reinsulate your home. Make sure that your home is properly insulated with state-of-the-art materials and you will notice a big difference in the energy efficiency of your home. The cost isn’t that much and you’ll save more on your bills going forward.
2. Install an Energy Efficient HVAC System
Your HVAC is the biggest energy drain that you have. Getting new insulation and taking other steps to increase energy efficiency will help, but the best thing that you can do if you really want to increase the energy efficiency of your home is to replace your outdated HVAC system with a new, more energy-efficient HVAC unit.
Replacing an HVAC isn’t a small job. It can be expensive depending on several factors. However, it is the home project that will significantly boost your energy efficiency that is usually worth the cost.
3. Consider Solar Panels
Solar panels are more affordable and accessible these days. There are incentive programs that are designed to make solar panels more attractive to homeowners.
In many areas, energy companies will pay you for selling back excess energy from your panels. If you live in an area that gets a lot of sun you should look into adding a solar array to your home to harness the power of the sun and generate energy for your home.
4. Replace Your Windows
Inefficient windows are a huge energy drain. If you have never replaced the windows in your home or if you bought an older home and the windows have never been replaced you are most likely losing a lot of heating and cooling to leaky inefficient windows with poor seals.
Getting the windows replaced with brand new windows is a big job but there are incentives and rebates that will reduce the cost. When your home has all new energy efficient windows you will see giant savings on your energy costs. Save money and increase the value of your home at the same time!
5. Buy Energy Star Products
Energy Star products are rated by the government for their high energy efficiency. Buying new Energy Star rated appliances will increase the marketability of your home if you ever decide to sell it. But in the meantime, Energy Star appliances will make your home much more energy efficient and you will love the functionality of these new modern appliances.
You don’t have to make sweeping changes to your lifestyle in order to live in a more environmentally responsible way and make your home more energy efficient. By making these changes outlined in this article, you will save money, live greener and increase the value of your home.
