We are living in a world where technology and innovation dominates. This has made it possible to live more efficiently. More people are taking advantage of these technologies and innovations, especially at home. The ultimate aim is to conserve energy. The move is not only necessary for the environment, but also for saving costs in the long run. Energy-efficient homes are critical in conserving energy and minimizing unnecessary energy consumption. The good news is that energy-efficient is not for a particular group of people. It is something that people can participate in. The following are some of the ways to make your home more economical.
- Use recycled insulation materials
A sustainable building culture considers environmentally-friendly alternatives when looking for insulation materials. In the modern world, natural insulation materials have become popular because they are produced from renewable resources where they use less energy. However, recycled insulation materials go a step further, since they are made from 100% recycled materials. The recycled insulators require less energy to produce compared to conventional insulation materials. Hence, capitalizing on insulation materials that are made from recycled paper, glass and other recovered materials. You will be surprised to note that such materials have excellent insulation properties. Furthermore, the recycled materials are cheaper compared to traditional options. Since the energy requires to make them is low, the cost of production is reduced, hence they cost less. The recycled options will not only meet your insulation needs but also save you money. This implies that you will spend less money purchasing recycled insulators than you would do with the traditional materials.
- Use LEDs rather than the usual light bulbs
Incandescent light is the energy-efficient used light bulb. It produces light when the wire filament is heated. A translucent glass bulb surrounds the metal wire and it is filled with an inert gas. While incandescent bulbs are cheaper to manufacture, they have two major defects.
- They have the worst energy efficiency. Their ratings Energy-efficient about 10 lumens/watt. About 90% of the energy is used to generate heat.
- Short lifespan. Incandescent bulbs last about 1200 operating hours. Hence, although they are cheap to buy, you have to get a lot of them, which means high maintenance costs.
An average household spends 5% of its energy budget on lighting. Hence, switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the most effective ways to cut on energy bills. Specialists from writemyessayforme.co.uk recommend replacing the home’s most frequently used bulbs with models that save energy like Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs contain electrons that flow to form photons, i.e. light. The photons generate almost no heat. LEDs have the following advantages over incandescent bulbs:
- LED bulbs use more than 75% less energy compared to incandescent lighting.
- Longer lifespan. LED bulbs last 25X longer than incandescent bulbs
- Wash your clothes in cold water if it possible at night
If you have been washing your clothes in cold water, you will discover that you are in the minority category. More people wash their clothes in warm water. However is not a good idea because:
- Warm water requires to be heated which consumes energy
- It can reduce the lifespan of clothes. Hear can break down the dyes in the clothes and hence cause them to shrink.
- Delicate fabrics and colorful fabrics usually do best in cold water
- Some stains like sweat and blood do not respond to warm water.
Washing clothes in cold water is an effective way of energy saving at home. Heating water is responsible for 90% of the energy used by the machine to wash the clothes. You can effectively do your laundry using cold water and obtain better results. Additionally, do your laundry early in the morning or during the night to save on energy consumption. Using cold water and washing during the night can save households about $40 annually.
- Install a programmable thermostat
On average, about 45% of the home’s energy is used for heating and cooling. However, a large portion of that energy is utilized in unoccupied spaces. When you are sleeping, you do not need to heat or cool the home. This means you can save money on the heating and cooling bills when you reset the thermostat when you sleep or you are not at home. The good news is that you can do this without necessarily sacrificing your comfort by having a programmable thermostat. The device will allow you to adjust the times you turn on the heating depending on a pre-set schedule. A programmable thermostat will repeat tasks that you would be unable to perform. When you use a programmable thermostat correctly, you can save 10-30% on heating and cooling bills. You need to make a deliberate decision to save energy using programmable thermostats by setting them correctly. You should ensure the presets for both occupied and unoccupied rooms are set.
- During winter, set the programmable thermostat at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you are in the house and 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit when asleep or away from the house.
- In warmer periods, the base temperature should be about 78 degrees Fahrenheit and warmer when you are away or asleep.
- Use solar panel systems
Solar panel systems have become common especially in developing countries like the United States. The solar market is expected to be a $4.5 billion market by 2023. The widespread use of solar power has led to yet another renewable technology: solar batteries. These are used to store extra solar power so that it can be used later. The solar panels collect energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. The installed inverter makes the electricity to be in a form that can be used to power the home.
In case you need a presentation on solar panels or batteries and how to use them, you can get in touch with online resume writing services. These companies have expert writers on issues pertaining to environmental sustainability. This will ensure that you get a high-quality essay or presentation. Additionally, the work will be 100% free of plagiarism because it is written from scratch. Where you have a short deadline, the writers will deliver it within the allocated time. Hence, when you need essays about energy-efficient homes, look for reputable writing services online.
- Use natural light
A home that has natural light appears warmer compared to one that is dark. Apart from this, the use of natural light saves on energy use and subsequently on costs. While your home may be designed to get more natural light, you can increase the natural light by:
- Opening the curtains
- Painting the walls with colors that reflect the light
- Trimming the hedges that cover the windows
- Rearranging furniture to ensure they do not block light
This will ensure that you can use more natural light hence minimizing energy costs. Conclusively, an energy-efficient house is critical in this era where there is more emphasis on environmental sustainability. You need to ensure that your home is more energy efficient to save on unnecessary costs. While the outlined approaches may have high initial costs, they save on costs in the long run. Take the outlined steps and you will be surprised the amount of money you will save because of ensuring home efficiency.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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