When it comes to household expenses, the cost of heating and cooling your home may be your most pricey expense. There are some things that you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home and lower your energy bill. Let’s take a look at three ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency that may be easier than you thought.
Automate the Thermostat
If you’re spending most of your time at home, then your manual thermostat may not need to be upgraded but if you are in and out of your home throughout the week, not automating your thermostat could be costing you a higher gas or electricity bills.
Aprilaire explains that a programmable thermostat allows you to lower the temperature during hours that you’re away as well as when you’re asleep and may want your home cooler. Lower your thermostat by just ten degrees at night allows you to save up to ten percent a year on heating.
Increase Airflow
One of the best ways to improve your home’s heating and cooling is to make sure your fans and airflow are where they need to be. Energy Vanguard explains, air flow, whether you’re talking about duct systems, bath fans, heat recovery ventilators, or ceiling fans, is measured in cubic feet per minute, usually called simply cfm. The higher the number, the more air is moving.
Inadequate airflow from your HVAC system could result in it taking longer for your home to heat up. This extended heat up time increase energy consumption as your system tries to catch up with the thermostat by running much longer than it would need to if airflow was optimum.
Basements are notorious for having poor airflow, which not only increases energy consumption but also encourages mold and mildew.
Improve the heating in your home by taking a few steps to increase airflow. Eicher Design Build suggests to install an in-line duct fan installed directly in your ducts. This will help create a boosted level of airflow that makes it easier for you to heat your home. Seal any leaky ductwork and clean your return grill. Also, make sure to change your HVAC filters on schedule. This is not an area you can ignore if you want to improve airflow.
Improve Insulation
Poorly insulated windows, doors, attics, and floors could cost you a fortune in energy bills. These areas tend to be the source of major energy loss especially in older homes but most homes, according to Energy Star, have significant air leaks and don’t have great insulation. Upgrade your insulation, add awnings and trees outside to improve your energy usage.
If you update your thermostat, increase airflow from your HVAC, and improve your house’s insulation you will see these changes translate into savings on your energy bills. Don’t wait, implement some of these changes today and improve energy efficiency.