Before you can make your home more efficient, you need to know what investments are worth making for your individual family. For instance, if you have a busy household that uses a lot of hot water, a tankless water heater won’t be in your best interest even though it’s an energy efficient improvement. A few things to take into consideration are your home and its age, the size of your family and your climate. For the best understanding of how your family uses energy, have an energy audit done.
In the meantime, you can start looking into these top three energy efficient upgrades for your home. They are basic but effective and can benefit just about any household!
- Seal and Insulate
By sealing and insulating your home, you’re reducing your home’s heating and cooling expenses. Not only does this save money and reduce energy loss in the short term, but also it could mean that a future furnace may only need to be half the size.
Start by weather stripping doors and windows, and fill in any gaps around pipes, chimneys, wiring and recessed lighting. It’s a cheap, relatively easy job that can make a huge difference. Next up is the insulation. If you insulate one thing, it should be the attic floor. The house’s duct work should also be sealed and insulated.
- Install Solar Film
Replacing the windows is another way to save on energy because the house loses a lot of air through them. But, experts say that high-quality replacement windows are so expensive, you can’t expect to see energy savings that come close to the cost.
A second option that is far cheaper but just as effective is solar film. Applied to the interiors of the windows, window film rejects solar heat gain, reduces energy loss and controls temperature. It also reduces fading and glare and prevents UV rays from entering the home.
- Upgrade Appliances
Your budget probably doesn’t allow you to upgrade all of your appliances at once, but you can make slow strides in this direction. Even though you may have some appliances that are still kicking after all these years, you may want to start looking into energy efficient replacements. Some of them can save up to 30% more energy, significantly reducing your monthly utility bills. The appliances that consume the most energy are your HVAC system and washer and dryer.
Making your home energy efficient is good for the environment, your family and your wallet. Any changes that you make is a step in the right direction and more money in your pocket over the long term.
