How to make you home more energy efficient

How to Make Your Home Or Business Energy Efficient

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In the effort to maintain comfort while not leaving money on the table, optimizing your energy consumption is critical. Whether you’re trying to save a few bucks on energy bills for your home or send some value to the bottom line at work, we’ve got some great tips on how to make your home more energy efficient.

#1 – Know What Your Consumption Is

Run the numbers to find out what you’re spending money on. If you’re unsure, there are some pretty good online tools that will help you figure it out. Some will also give you personalized suggestions on how to optimize.

#2 – Install a Smart Thermostat

If you don’t yet have one, a smart thermostat is a great tool in the effort to increase energy efficiency. A smart thermostat allows you to program the indoor climate for specific days and times of the day. Some will also allow you to zone-heat or cool your home. This means you don’t have to waste energy maintaining rooms you are not using.

#3 – Get a Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans are a massive help in both heating and cooling. In the summer, it circulates cool air and reduces the load on your cooling system. In the winter, it pushes warm air down from the ceiling, meaning you can lower your thermostat a few degrees without compromising comfort.

#4 – Draw the Curtains or Blinds

In the summer, drawing your curtains during the day helps to keep the cool air inside. It also prevents the sun from heating up your rooms and making your system work harder. In the colder months, drawing your curtains at night gives you an added layer of insulation.

#5 – Install a Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters are a great way to become more energy-efficient. The unit will heat the water on-demand, meaning you won’t have to maintain a huge tankful of hot water all the time. Additionally, you’ll be able to reclaim the space that your old water heater was living in and allocate it to something more useful, like additional storage.

#6 – Replace Your Incandescent Lighting

Standard incandescent light bulbs are a huge energy drain. LEDs and CFLs can reduce the energy load of your lighting by 50 to 75 percent, and they last about ten times longer than incandescent bulbs.

#7 – Seal and Insulate Your Home

Insulating and sealing your home or business is easily the best way to make the building more energy-efficient. A well-insulated building will lower your energy bills, and it can improve indoor air quality too. Common places where leakage may occur include:

  • Electrical outlets and switch plates
  • Mail slots
  • Around doors
  • Outdated or improperly sealed windows
  • Attic hatches
  • Fireplace flues

#8 – Install water-efficient faucets and toilets

To optimize your water consumption, install a low-flow toilet or a dual-flush toilet. Low-flow showerheads or faucets with automatic shutoffs are also excellent for conserving water.

#9 – Keep your HVAC systems well-maintained

Changing the filters on your HVAC system and scheduling seasonal maintenance is the best way to ensure optimum value for your energy dollar. To schedule your maintenance appointment, call AC Plus today.

These are just a few tips you can use today to make your home or business more energy-efficient. To learn more about how we can save you money on your energy bills, call today for a free quote.