You know you want to make your home more energy-efficient, but you've been dragging your feet because, well, where exactly to start?
The best first step is to figure out what you're working with by conducting a home energy audit. Basically, you want to know how much energy you're currently using and where you're using it, in order to know where to take action. Are the windows really drafty? Are you using Energy Star-approved appliances? Do you only vaguely remember your vents being cleaned once, years ago?
You can choose to have a professional go through your home for you, or the audit can be done pretty easily by yourself.
An energy audit is a great way to save money and and live more comfortably. Be sure to consult a certified auditor.
We added insulation in our home last year and I was really surprised at the difference it made in our utility bill. Since then I have tried to buy more energy saving products now that I know that it really does save $$$. Next on my to-do list is to get an energy audit!
Conventional incandescent lighting may actually make your AC work just a little harder. Only 10% of the energy used by these light bulbs produces light – the other 90% becomes heat. The last thing you need in the middle of summer is something making more heat in your home.
The average Florida home owner could save up to $70.00 per year by using Compact Florescent Bulbs. It is estimated that almost $40.00 of this is from the AC having to run more. Not a huge expense but it does add up over the years.
Starting in 2012 a law goes into effect that sets new standards for general service light bulbs. The main purpose of this law is to reduce our energy consumption and our dependence on foreign energy sources.
Compact Florescent bulbs are a little more expensive, but in the long run you’ll save money and they last 10x longer. It may just be a good idea to start changing them out now…
What a great site loaded with a ton of info, we need more like this to give various views on where home owners can save money and make the world just a bit greener. Job well done!
Insulation is the first thing people should really look at. The best part is it pretty much pays for itself in the first 1-2 years.
Cheers
External Wall Insulation
Doing a energy audit is a wonderful way to see where your energy losses are.
Heat escapes homes through many unseen areas. The same can be said from keeping heat out of the home.
The cost to keep a house cool in the hot summers is more than it costs to heat a house in the winter, as air conditioning is expensive.
The previous comment talks about exterior insulation. I know, from building envelope courses I have taken and my construction experience, that exterior insulation is a better form of insulation than fiberglass insulation because there are not the gaps at the studs and window frames. This helps in that it forms an air seal on the exterior of the house. This reduces the heat exchanged between the inside and outside of a house or building.
This also helps in older homes, in that it moves the dew point from in the wall to the outside of the building and puts in inside of the foam where condensation will not effect the wooden construction of the house.
Not only will this reduce energy costs but it will help keep the home protected from mold and fungus that will eat away at the wood.
A couple of years ago we took several steps to help lower our household electric bills. Living in Texas our A/C runs A LOT during the summer. We blew in about 8 inches of insulation in the attic and installed Solar Screens on our southern facing windows. Also when the house was originally built it had no soffett vents so we installed some. It has made about $100 difference in our electric usage during the hottest months of the year!