Whether you are looking to save money, reduce your carbon footprint, or both there are plenty of home energy saving tips to help get you started. But most people fail because almost all of the tips out there tell you that you have to change your lifestyle. I’m here to tell you that this could not be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, most tips are focused on giving you band-aid techniques in an attempt to minimize the effects of a bigger problem. If you want real results then you need to take care of problem instead of covering it with band-aids.
My favorite example of one of these band-aid home energy saving tips is when people tell you to save energy by lowering your thermostat in the winter and just wear a sweater to keep warm. The real problem is not what temperature you set your thermostat. The real problem is that your home is inefficient and losing much of the heat that your furnace is producing. In a truly energy efficient home you can set your heat and your home will actually retain it without the need for your furnace to run constantly.
So do yourself a favor and put your effort toward implementing these home energy saving tips that will actually save you money without requiring you to live in like an Eskimo.
Tip #1: Add Attic Insulation
Adding attic insulation is one the easiest and most effective home energy saving tips to drastically improve the efficiency of your home. Considering the facts that heat naturally rises and that less than 20% of homes built before 1980 are well insulated, you could be losing the majority of your homes heat right through your roof.
While it is recommended to update the insulation of your entire home to bring it up to recommended R-values, this can be a very complicated and expensive project. But most people have easy access to their attic and can easily add attic insulation for very little money.
Your attic insulation should be between R-30 and R-60 with colder climates being closer to R-60.
Tip #2: Seal Home Air Leaks
Homes are designed to naturally seal the air inside. But over time air leaks do develop. As air is allowed to leak in and out of your home it carries heat with it. So during the winter months the heat you want to keep inside will easily leak out. During the summer months the heat you want to keep outside will easily leak in. This makes for a very inefficient home.
Some of the most common places that leak are doors and windows. So you will want to make sure that all of your exterior doors and windows are properly caulked and sealed with proper weather stripping. You will also want to properly caulk and seal all plumbing, duct work, and electrical wiring that pass through walls, floors, and ceilings.
Tip #3: Switch to Energy Efficient Lighting
This is one of those home energy saving tips that is better known yet very few people are actually using it. Simply switch you’re your light bulbs to either Compact Fluorescent Lights or LED lights which are over 75% more efficient and anywhere from 10 to 25 times longer than your standard light bulb.
Many times there are government incentives for using these new efficient lights which allows you to purchase them at a significantly reduced price.
To continue reading home energy saving tips 4 through 7… see: 7 Little Known Home Saving Energy Tips (part 2)
Incoming search terms:
- home energy saving tips
- diy energy saving tips
- energy saving
- tips in saving energy at home
- best diy energy saving ideas
