If you’re like most homeowners, you want to save money. Owning a home isn’t a cheap endeavor, so every bit of savings helps. Luckily, budget-conscious homeowners can utilize several tips to save some money while still keeping a nice home. These include keeping a routine maintenance schedule each year so your home doesn’t fall into disrepair and doing small repairs yourself rather than hiring a handyman. You can also save money and maintain an energy-efficient home. Many simple, cost-effective ways to save on energy around the home not only can save you hundreds of dollars a year, but also help the environment. Here are a few tips on how you can have an energy efficient home.
Lighting
Gone are the days of sitting in the dark, thanks to the invention of the light bulb. Since being invented, we’ve come a long way in lighting our homes. People can now have motion sensors on the outside of their homes to deter burglaries and provide a safe-lit walkway at night. You can even purchase faucets that light up at night when you use the bathroom so you don’t have to subject your sleepy eyes to harsh glare. With these types of advances, it’s no surprise that there are energy efficient lighting options for your home. Save on lighting to keep your lights off during the day and turning them off when you leave a room at night. You can also invest in LED lights for your home, which last longer than traditional incandescent lighting and use less energy.
Heating
You can save money on your heating bill through different ways. Keeping your home well insulated can cut back on the amount of energy you need to use to heat your home. You can also install an energy effciency programmer thermostat, which allows you to control your home’s temperature using an app. That way, when you aren’t home, you can turn the temperature down so you aren’t heating an empty house. If you have an older furnace, it may not be running at optimal efficiency. You may want to consider replacing it with a newer energy-saving unit to cut back on your monthly heating costs. You should also seal off cracks in the home and ensure you have windows with thick panes so energy doesn’t escape your home which can result in higher heating bills.
Appliances
Appliances use a lot of energy, especially if they’re older. If you have the money in your budget, you may want to consider replacing them one at a time to see significant annual savings in your energy bills. Smaller appliances such as microwaves, toasters, and blenders can be unplugged when you aren’t home to help save money.
Water
If you want to save money on your water bill, you can carry out these changes around your home to cut back on your water usage. When you’re washing dishes, turn the water off while you’re scrubbing to cut back on unnecessary waste. You can also opt to wash your laundry in cold water rather than hot to save up to $100 a year on your water bills. Use a washing machine with the Energy Star label, which means it’s government-approved for saving energy. You can also install low flow faucets and toilets in your bathroom, which use less water than traditional fixtures.
Electricity
Save money on your electricity by using power strips, which you can use to turn off multiple appliances at once. You should also unplug your laptops, gaming devices, and televisions when they’re not in use to cut back on electricity. Avoid overcharging your devices by unplugging them once they have reached 100% and let the battery drain as much as possible between charges. You can also install smart outlets in your home, which you can control from an app. When you aren’t home, you can turn outlets on or off to ensure you aren’t wasting electricity. It’s important to be as green a possible to help the environment.
Having an energy efficient home also has positive effects on you and your family, since it teaches children the importance of being socially and economically responsible and puts money back in your wallet. Having an energy efficient home can help you save electricity, money, and the environment. You’ll feel better about doing your part to help Earth and your wallet will thank you each month when you receive your energy bills.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
