You may be surprised to learn that you can make your home “greener” without spending a lot of time and money. Just a few simple home improvement projects that almost anyone can do will help make your home more energy efficient and help conserve natural resources even as you save money.
If you dread the thought of the utility bills arriving, here are some simple tips on how to save money on energy bills.
1. Buy Automatic Light Switches
If you have young children, then you’ve probably noticed that lights get left on a great deal of the time. Automatic light switches are a great solution. The best part about this DIY task is that once you have finished, you can see results as soon as the next electricity bill comes.
2. Purchase Power Strips
“Always on” appliances are energy gobblers. Anything with a remote control or a quick start mode will continue to use electricity even when the item is turned off. Therefore, to stop wasting energy and make things easy for you to deal with every day, plug all of your media and/or appliances into a power strip/surge protector with a single switch you can turn off at the end of the day.
3. Use the New Generation of Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
They may cost more but they last longer, use less energy, and generate less heat.
4. Insulate Your Home
If your house is draughty and your heater or air-conditioning unit seems to be constantly running, then you may need to re-insulate your home. While this will require a larger investment upfront, it will save you a great deal of money in a short amount of time. Pay particular attention to pet doors and any extensions to the house such as a door leading out to a patio, deck, or attached garage.
5. Install an Energy-Efficient Roof
This should keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.
6. Put an Insulating Jacket on Your Water Heater
You will be amazed at how much more efficiently your unit will run with a properly insulated jacket banded around it and at the top of the unit.
7. Check the Thermostat on Your Water Heater
The default setting when it comes out of the factory will be 140F. Lower it to 120F and you will still have plenty of hot water, but at huge savings.
8. Install a Timer Switch and a Thermostat on Your Heater
Many people just switch the unit on when they need it and then forget all about it. This can cost big money, especially in the winter. You can also run out of fuel and need to deal with all sorts of issues, like trying to get a delivery during the holidays, or restart your pilot light on your tank.
You can set a timer so the house will be warm by the time you arrive home, and will shut off before you are about to head off to bed. In the morning, it will turn on before you get up so that you and the family will have plenty of heat and hot water before heading off for your busy day. The thermostat will keep your house at a steady temperature that you have set in advance.
9. Adjust Your Thermostat Wisely
Even setting your thermostat 2 degrees lower (from 70F to 68F, for example) can make a huge difference to the amount of energy you consume – whether it be heating or air conditioning. If you feel chilly in winter, put more clothes on. There is no need to heat the whole house when you are only in one room at any given time.
If you feel hot in the summer, use fans, and ceiling fans on the upper floors. Hot air rises, so the upper floors will tend to be warmer than the ground floor, especially up near the roof as long as you have an energy-efficient one.
