Energy-efficient homes are designed to use less energy. Energy efficiency equates to saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. When you learn how to save energy at home, you can also have a better handle on rising electricity rates. After all, it seems like every year the price for electricity goes up.
The trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The good news is that even if you don’t have an energy-efficient home yet, you can take some cost-effective measures to make it happen.
How to save energy at home
Scheduling an energy audit is a great way to start saving energy at home. Energy auditors can recommend the most cost-effective measures to make your home energy efficient and comfortable. Energy efficiency house plans will typically include upgrades in and around your house, including ENERGY STAR®-rated appliances and effectively insulated walls and attics.
You’ll also want to improve the energy efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Replace an older furnace with a high-efficiency condensing system, which can result in savings on your energy bill. You should maintain HVAC systems annually, and if it’s over 10 years old, consider replacing it with a sleek new model.
Good landscaping makes your house look more attractive and can also help you save energy. When shade trees are planted strategically around your house, they can cool down the warmer parts of your home.
Consider planting deciduous trees. In the summer, the foliage can block the sun during those bright summer days, and when it drops its leaves in the winter, it allows the sunshine to enter your house.
Do you feel a draft coming in from your windows? Are the windows in your home old and leaky? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be a good time to replace those windows with energy-efficient models. Replacing single-glazed windows with double-glazed windows improves the look of your house and makes it more comfortable.
Energy-efficient appliances
Invest in energy-efficient appliances and enjoy the savings on your energy bill. While the savings of having just one ENERGY STAR® appliance may seem small at first, those savings add up over time.
Refrigerators.
When you enter energy-efficient homes, you’ll notice state-of-the-art ENERGY STAR® certified models that don’t just look good, but run efficiently and save energy.
Dishwashers.
You can lower your utility bills and still get your dishes sparkly clean with ENERGY STAR® certified dishwashers.
Over the last decade, the technology has dramatically improved, with today’s newer models saving tons of water while still getting the dirtiest of dishes clean.
Clothes washers and dryers.
When you upgrade to ENERGY STAR® certified clothes washers and dryers, you and your clothes will feel good. You’ll love saving more than $300 over the lifetime of both. Energy-efficient clothes washers use approximately 25% less energy and about 33% less water than standard machines. An energy-efficient dryer uses about 20% less power.
Consider upgrading to energy-efficient dehumidifiers and air purifiers. You can leave them on all day and enjoy breathing much better indoor air quality.
Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and knowing how to save energy at home can bring on the savings. You can keep even more money in your bank by switching energy providers, including those that offer green energy electricity plans. Vault Electricity can help you discover the lowest electricity rates in Texas. Compare, choose and save!