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Improving Energy Efficiency in Your Home

Posted Posted in Solar Energy Articles     Comments Comments Off
Nov
4

There are a variety of reasons why one might want to improve their energy efficiency. With the green movement currently at its peak, more and more people are becoming aware of their actions and how they impact the environment. Add this to the fact that people the world over are doing all they can to save money on a regular basis and it becomes quite clear why one would strive to make changes. Fortunately, improving energy efficiency in your home doesn’t need to be difficult. So long as you take into consideration a few things that dramatically affect your energy use, making adequate changes can be as easy as flipping a switch.

One of the most important things you can do to start conserving on energy is to unplug anything that isn’t in use from the wall. Many people don’t realize that a variety of electronics continue to make use of energy even when they are off. Computers, televisions and other electronics have standby modes in which they make use of enough electricity to add up quite a bit after a long enough period of time. While it may not be necessary to unplug light electronics such as lamps from your wall sockets, unplugging electronics that can take up energy on standby can make a huge difference in improving energy efficiency in your home.

Many people complain about their heating bill throughout the winter, often understandably since heat can be rather expensive; especially if it is fueled by oil. Rather than spending an arm and a leg (not to mention wasting valuable environmental resources), take control over your home’s heating schedule. If no one is around during the day, be sure that you don’t have the heat blaring. Most modern heating systems allow you to set a schedule for when the heater will go on or off, which can be very valuable for people who work predictable schedules. Simply set your heat to go on a half hour before you arrive home and it will feel as if it had been running all day, all the while improving energy efficiency in your home.

Hot water is another common source of wasted energy, as many people let it run for far longer than they should. There are plenty of things that can be done to improve the efficiency of your hot water. For one, use only tepid water when washing dishes. Many people use extremely hot water because they like the idea of it killing germs; tepid water is just as effective, however, and will use far less energy to heat. When showering, try to keep your showers as short as possible. Improving energy efficiency in your home is a process that often involves making changes in your life, and shorter showers will inevitably save you money.

When tasked with improving energy efficiency in your home, always remember that small changes can make a huge difference. The more you pay attention to your actions, the more improvement you will make.