Home Energy Efficiency

Having energy efficient homes can be the best way we can reduce the amount of electricity we use each year. One of the first steps you can take to make the best choice that will your budget is to know all of your options, since there are a number of different things to consider when upgrading or building one of these energy efficient homes.

A key feature in most new home designs is energy efficiency. If constructing a new home is the choice you are going to make, there are many different options available to you that will make the house less expensive to operate by increasing it’s energy efficiency.

Upgrading the insulation is one of the easiest things you can do for your new home. To make a large postive change in energy consumption this can be a rather inexpensive option.

Because of the walls being exposed, this is also the best time to do this upgrade and will make it less expensive than trying to do it later on. If you can afford to do it, it would be a good idea to upgrade your insulation during the construction process. This insulation can take many forms and there are many new products on the market today to help you improve your insulation factor.

Some of these are improvements to the traditional insulation materials like fiberglass rolls. They now come thinner and feature an increase in insulating ability when compared to ones that were offered in years past. There are also other solutions available that are based on recycled materials that provide amazing insulation for less money and can be a great alternative for many homeowners.

Some builders will also only insulate the basic areas of the house when it is being built and overlook some areas that should be insulated, such as crawlspaces and attics. Having the insulation in these locations upgraded while construction is going on will not cost you much money and will significantly lower your energy costs.

Another area that can help in these energy efficient homes is the type and location of your windows. There are some advanced windows on the market now that will save you a lot of money on your heating bill by restricting the leakage of heat through the panes of glass.

Many of the double paned windows currently being offered are many times more efficient than standard windows that builders offer and aren’t that much more expensive per window. These newer style windows actually use a specialized gas that is sealed between the panes and it will help lower the transfer of heat through the panes and also it will reduce drafts.

Upgrading these windows now can really help you lower your heating bills and will pay for itself several times over for the life of your home. Switching these windows to energy efficient types when the house is being constructed will be less expensive since the window frame is exposed. Switching the windows out later is harder to do and you will have to remove the insulation and the siding, which may compromise the insulation put in around around the window. It would be frustrating to have changed the window out later for a more efficient version and realize that you were losing energy through drafts that were created when the window was replaced.

Also important is where you put these windows. You can find large windows on many energy efficient homes that will be put on the wall of the house that gets the most sun to help take advantage of sunlight to reduce their energy bills. Also, skylights are easy to install and relatively inexpensive and can help with your lighting needs as well. By using this natural light for your home you will have to have fewer lights on during the day and can reduce your energy consumption considerably.

There are lots of simple things to do to cut down on the energy used in your home – I am going to list 5 of my favourites.

1. Dishwashers should be used only when they are full as they use almost the same amount of electricity even if it is half full. So save money on your power bill and only use it when it’s full.

2. Use energy efficient light bulbs. Replace all your current light globes with energy efficient ones and save a bundle on your electricity.

3. Turn of appliances at the power point. If you ever notice at night after you have turned all the lights out – all th little lights that are still on in your house? Like the computer screen light, DVD lights, microwave lights? Save more money by turning off all these at the power point.

4. Choose a front loader washing machine over a top loader. Front loader models have been tested to use up to 30% less energy than a top loader.

5. Always use the outdoors to dry your clothes. During the warmer months use the natural heat from the sun to dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. You can do this all year round if you have appropriate under cover area outdoors where you can hang your clothes.

These are my 5 tips to make your home energy efficient. As you can see if you only follow these simple tips you are going to make a huge difference to not only the environment but to your wallet as well – because these tips can save you quite a bit of money.