Making some energy-saving home improvements and establishing a home maintenance routine can help lower your electric bills.
Energy-Saving Home Improvements
Insulation
Maintain appropriate levels of insulation in your attic and walls and under your wood frame flooring. As heat moves from hot to cold areas, the insulation will create a barrier of resistance (the R-factor) to increase your home’s energy efficiency.
When deciding which type of insulating material to buy, keep in mind that the R-factor reflects the amount of resistance the material possesses; the higher the R-factor of insulation, the greater the insulating power. Take into account your climate, home design, and budget when selecting the insulation R-value.
Weatherize Windows and Doors
Weatherize your home by caulking and weather-stripping around windows and doors and wherever plumbing or wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, or ceilings. This will make a difference in your heating and cooling bills by making sure that the air inside stays in and the air outside stays out.
Another step to consider is installing storm windows over single-pane windows or replacing your single-pane with double-pane windows to reduce drafts and condensation.
Ventilation
Use ventilation to remove excess heat and moisture from your home. Gable vents, ridge/soffit vents, thermostatically controlled power ventilators, and turbine ventilators can all help control moisture buildup and reduce heat loads on your air conditioning system.
Replace Old Appliances
Replace older major appliances such as your refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, and water heater with new energy-efficient appliances that are less costly to operate.
Landscaping
Use landscaping to help keep energy costs down by planting trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units. A shaded unit uses as much as 10% less electricity than one that operates in the sun. (Just be careful that the landscaping does not block the airflow.)
Establishing a Home Routine
You can do lots of little things around the house to keep your heating/cooling system running at peak efficiency. Make these steps part of your home routine twice a year.
- Before you crank up the AC in warm weather or turn on the heat for the first time when it turns cold, have a qualified technician check your system to be sure it’s in good working order.
- Remove the glass globes from your overhead lights and wash them in warm, soapy water. Dust and dirt that build up on the glass can dim the light that shines through them.
- Vacuum or brush the dust from your refrigerator condenser coils underneath the bottom grille of the appliance. If your refrigerator doesn’t have a self-defrosting freezer, don’t allow the frost to build up more than one-quarter of an inch before you defrost it.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to drain the water from your water heater tank and remove sediment that builds up inside.
- Plant vines on trellises to shade windows that get a lot of sun in the spring and summer.
- Plant evergreen trees and shrubs on the north and west sides of the house to deflect winter winds.