We are not aware of certain habits and specific home improvements that we could do to reduce the home’s energy use.
However, being oblivious of these little things that matter, we tend to be like other users of Collected.Reviews and patronize the services of cheap energy providers only to come online and lament.
Those days are over now, and you should try out these five proven ways to reduce your home’s energy use.
1. Use Energy-Efficient Home Improvements Items:
Several home improvement items can save you from using extra energy in your home. These items, unlike the ones before them, can save energy for you. For instance, a smart thermostat can learn to know when you are at home and when you are not. It will adjust its functions to regulate the home’s temperature to suit your availability. Another example is a smart water heater. Older water heaters have a tank where water is stored and heated constantly so that hot water is available for use at all times. However, a smart water heater does not store water; instead, it allows water to pass through a heating element. The heating element will increase the water temperature and make it hot. There are other items that can be bought and fixed in the house to save energy.
2. Correct use of curtains and blinds:
Correctly using the curtains and blinds in the home can also reduce the home’s use of energy. How? When you open the curtains on a sunny day, you allow heat to get into the home, making it very hot and possibly inhabitable. The same goes for the cold season when the home is cold, it is best to open the curtains, so heat from the atmosphere can warm the home. Alternatively, you can use thermal cotton in your home, and these curtains help maintain a warm temperature in every weather.
3. Use Energy Saving Bulbs:
If your home is still decorated with yellow bulbs, it is time to get rid of those bulbs. Colored bulbs do not use all the energy that they get to produce lights. The residual energy is released into the atmosphere. You can save this energy that is given off by using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), or Halogen Lamps. Though more expensive than the yellow ones, these bulbs save energy and, in the long run, will save you more money.
4. Switch off appliances when not in use:
Most people do not take cognizance of this, but when you leave electrical appliances on when you are not using them, they use up energy and cost you more money. Even energy-saving bulbs, when you leave them on and are not using them, use up energy that should have been saved up. Make it a habit to switch off all electrical appliances in the home immediately after using them.
5. Plant trees:
Plants always help to save the home’s energy in a significant way. Trees act as windbreakers on windy days and also bring warmth in summer.
Energy bills can be reduced if you do certain things the right way. Begin with these five tips, and you will see an evident reduction in your home’s use of energy.
