Having an energy efficient home is the need of the hour. It benefits you in many ways. As the electricity unit prices are rising, you can save money in the long run, and of course, the carbon footprints will also reduce. It is one of the practical decisions you can make for your home’s durability and comfort.
If you are planning to have an energy efficient house, there are a few changes that may cost you a little more than usual but consider it a long-term investment for your home, next-generation and the Earth.
Before discussing the ways to make your home more efficient, let’s discuss the major factor that affects electricity consumption, i.e. weather.
It is imperative to understand, weather plays a significant role in differentiating what kind of layers you need for your home.
For example, homes on the south side of the north-facing streets get more sunlight at the back of the house. Northside homes will have the shades during summers at the back.
In a cold area, south-facing homes get sunlight in the winter only. Sun rays could be blocked during the summers.
Let’s discuss the ways to make your home energy efficient in all weather.
Landscaping helps to reduce heat absorption, and it can decrease the home temperature by up to 6degrees. Also, it is imperative to have plants according to the area weather. For example, deciduous trees will block the excess heat during summers and let the warm sunlight come in during winters. However, if you are in cool areas dense trees, and shrubs will be more suitable.
Also, plantation locations play an important role too. If you experience more summers, planting trees in the east, south, and west will keep your home cool. Resulting in less requirement for cooling systems that will eventually reduce your electricity bills.
There are companies that audit whether your home is energy efficient or not? They also suggest changes as per the report. You can use that report and make the changes accordingly. Make sure you choose a reliable audit company.
A lot of companies claim that they sell energy-saving appliances, but you should check the certificate (it may differ on locations) on the product before buying one. Also, these appliances may cost you more but help you to reduce electricity bills in the long run. Energy-efficient devices raise your living standards too.
In addition, you can connect your appliances with smart home devices like “Alexa” or “Google Home” so that you do not let the appliance run just because you are feeling lazy to switch it off.
If possible, allocate your windows where there is maximum sunlight to reduce light consumption in the daytime. We have seen a lot of homes where people have done such an amazing window allocation; they receive direct sunlight in the room that reduces the need for lights in the daytime. That means your electricity bills could be halved.
Moreover, installing double pane windows or vinyl frames are better than single-pane windows and aluminium frames.
The outer architect of the home is referred to as the building envelope. It is a kind of shield for your house that protects your home from the outer environment, air, moisture, and harsh weather conditions.
Also, it helps to give you a temperature flexi home. For instance, the right type of insulation outside your home can provide the desired home temperature at any point of time.
Water conservation is important too to make your home energy-efficient. Now everyone is tired of listening to those teensy ways to conserve water. Though they help a lot, let’s talk about something big.
Have you heard of greywater recycling systems? It is basically using the water waste from laundry, showers, sinks, and washing machines. You can ask your plumber to install the diversion that sends the wasted water to the garden or washing machine. This way, you can save almost 50% on water bills and congratulations, there is no regret of wasting so much water, you successfully resued it and saved your money too.
Going solar doesn’t have just one benefit. You will get tired of counting but it will still have more to offer. Of course, your electricity bills will be reduced, it will help you to live sustainably but do you know that it increases your property value too? There are many more surprising benefits of having solar panels at home.
CFLs use one-fourth of the electricity that incandescent bulbs use and last 12 times more than them. It simply means reducing your power consumption. Moreover, you can expect less greenhouse gas emissions from your account as it contains very less amount of mercury (around 4mg/bulb).
Heaters with tank storage take time to heat the water and get cold quickly. In tankless heaters, all you need is to adjust the temperature, and it will give you warm water whenever you switch it on. This way, you will not have to switch on your geyser for pre-heating; reducing your electricity consumption.
Blinds help to block the direct sun rays that make a room warmer. Also, they are so easy to open and close that if you are in a moderate area where you experience both summers and winters equally, having blinds at home enables flexible temperature as per the weather.
Now that you know how to save energy at home by making a few changes, we expect you will take a step ahead towards a sustainable life and give your contribution to make Earth a better place for living again. For more tips on sustainable living, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
