Easy Ways to Enhance Energy Efficiency at Home

By Mrunal - Updated: October 31, 2018

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How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient in Simple Ways

Whether you’re buying a home or renovating one, a few tips can help you learn how to save energy at home. Not only will you reduce your expenditure for electricity but you’ll also minimise environmental damage. It’s a win-win for all!

Houses are big energy users. All the electric appliances account for a high percentage of consumption. While it’s tough to do without certain items and scale back on our usage, it’s time we start reducing energy use. Enhancing power efficiency in our homes while maximising comfort should be the call of the day.

How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient in Simple Ways

1. Improve Insulation

This is one of the best ways to cut down energy. Lack of insulation will only force you to turn up the thermostat and push up your electricity bill. Insulate the walls of your home and include the ceilings and the attic. You might also want to install weatherstripping to ensure that windows and doors are properly sealed. This energy efficient home improvement tip will help prevent the warm air indoors from escaping out when the temperature falls. It’ll also keeps hot air from entering indoors during the sweltering summer months.

2. Replace Old Appliances

Another effective way to make a home more energy efficient is to replace old clunkers with newer Energy Star-certified models. It’ll go a long way in maximising your savings on power. You could replace just about anything, whether it’s the water heater, washer, AC or fridge. You may want to take a look for water heaters that heat up in minutes and refrigerators that automatically defrost. Low-flow shower heads and toilets that have two flush functions are also good buys.

3. Keep Air Ducts Clean

One way to save energy at home is to keep your AC air ducts clean. They do get dusty quite often. Keeping them clean also makes sure you get better indoor air quality. It wouldn’t make sense to use an AC if the air it’s circulating is dirty, would it? Besides, regular cleaning means you don’t have to spend a long time trying to get muck out.

4. Plant More Trees

‘Go Green’’ is the mantra everyone seems to be uttering these days. And a great way to boost energy conservation at home and anywhere is to plant trees. Whether in your backyard or front garden, plant native trees that will thrive. You can also plant flowers, creepers and climbers to add variety. Ask the nursery you’re getting them from for tips to keep them healthy. Different plants have different needs, after all.

5. Unplug Appliances

It’s an easy way to conserve energy at home but few do it. Unplugging appliances when you aren’t using them can save a surprising amount of money. According to research, ‘phantom power’, which is the power that appliances use even when turned off but plugged in to the socket, accounts for up to 10 percent of the energy used in a house!

Cutting down our power consumption doesn’t have to mean living without electricity. It’s just about knowing how to get the most out of the things and learning not to waste. The sooner everyone knows how to save energy at home, the sooner you’ll see your power bills take a dive.

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