Being energy efficient can seem costly if your options seem to be limited to solar power and rainwater harvesting systems, but making a few changes around the home can mean dropping bills and giving the environment a little bit of a boost.
Buy the right utilities
Making sure you have the right utilities is going to pay-off wonders when looking to make a home more energy efficient.
Each type of utility, a washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, and even microwave will have an energy efficient rating. Generally, these ratings range from A to G, which means that the higher the energy efficiency rating, the less water or electricity it will use to get the job done and the better it is for the environment. Moreover, you might want to hire an appliance repair company (such as this Dishwasher Repair company) for regular maintenance to keep your appliances running efficiently and using less energy.
Having an energy-efficient kitchen could result in household bills dropping by up to 100 a year.
Attend to your HVAC systems
Becoming energy efficient requires more than buying smart appliances, it needs you to keep an eye on your existing HVAC systems. You may come across situations when you may not have used the air conditioner for more than 3 days in a month but the utility bill comes off as a shocker to you. You may have pulled your hair trying to figure out the problem but in vain. If only you had known that unserviced HVAC systems can, over time, accumulate dirt and dust and become less efficient. They would suck in more power to offer desirable output. Hence, the snowballing of energy bills. Fortunately, getting them attended to by professionals at sandri.com could offer positive results in reducing costs. Usually, homeowners opt for maintenance services quarterly or half-yearly to ensure the health of their appliances.
Install insulation
Insulation can cost up to 300 to install, whether on the roof or the walls. However, ensuring that it is installed can drop heating bills by around 200 a year, so in a couple of years it’ll have paid for itself. However, if you want to reduce heating bills even further, you can consider using firewood for boilers and fireplaces. Using kiln dried logs and firewood in a biomass or wood-fired boiler can be an energy-efficient option because it allows you to generate more heat with less wood. This can help reduce your overall fuel consumption and heating costs while also reducing your environmental impact.
In a similar manner, cavity wall and loft insulation works by trapping heat within the home meaning that heating can be on a lower level.
Some energy companies will also offer free installation for any households deemed to be ‘vulnerable’. This could be low income families or the elderly, as well any introductory offers that also include installation.
Make sure your windows are sealed
Sealed windows are another way to trap heat within the home. Even the smallest gaps, maybe not noticeable to the untrained eye, are going to let in a breeze and result in heating being turned up, costing more and ultimately escaping the house in the end anyway.
Sealing a window need not be expensive and the seals themselves can be bought from any decent DIY shop and normally cut to fit the size of a window.
Cut down your shower time
Cutting down the time you spend in the shower and getting rid of baths altogether is great way to save money and energy on a number of levels.
The more you use an electric shower the more it is going to cost in the long run on your energy bills, cutting a ten minute shower to a five minute shower is going to halve this cost.
Anyone using a water meter can save money by simply using less water, so cutting out baths, probably the biggest reason for water use, is the best way to do this.
Keith Hodges is a financial journalist writing news and advice articles on how to cut your bills and stretch the family budget at CashCompass.co.uk.