Save money and the environment creating an energy-efficient home

Going “green” at home and decreasing the amount of energy we use makes it possible to reduce your carbon footprint. This then helps to preserve our Earth’s natural resources for the future.

But as well as this, each day there is an increasing economic reason for us to become more energy-efficient too.

Nationwide utility prices are going up and at the moment, there’s no end in sight. Unfortunately, with this increase comes a strain on many families finances, especially those who in an energy inefficient property.

However, you can make simple changes and improvements around your home to reduce these expenses while protecting the planet at the same time. Below we have put together some of the easiest and most effective greening tips to implement in your household. After all, we spend so much time worrying about how our home looks, it’s about time we worried out our energy usage too.

Improve the insulation

One of the first things to do is improve the insulation within your home. During the cold winter months, you could be letting out a lot of heat due to bad insulation. This may well be costing you a lot of money, and could also be detrimental to the environment.

Consider adding better insulation throughout your home especially in those important areas where heat transfers most frequently – i.e. basements, attics and outer walls. There are many different insulation options out there that will fit your specific building requirements and needs.

Use compact fluorescent bulbs

Depending on the types of light bulb in your home, you may find you’re using much more energy than you need to. This is why so many people switch to led bulbs, and although they cost a little bit more upfront, over time they end up saving you money and can last up to 12 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs.

Another way to save energy would be to install timers or motion detectors that will automatically turn off the lights when they’re not in use.

Consider solar panels

Solar panels are a great investment for an energy-efficient home and believe it or not they help to cut down your electricity costs because they allow you to produce your own energy. This really is something to consider especially because they’re such a great return on investment.

Switch off gadgets when not in use

An idle computer, printer or coffee machine consumes so much power when not in use. Switch them off when you don’t need them. These are only small savings but will eventually turn into bigger ones when you calculate the amount of energy you’ve saved by the end of the year.

Look for energy-efficient appliances

If you’re on the lookout for new appliances, choose ones that are energy star certified. These use less energy and just like the light bulbs, while they may cost you a bit more they’ll save you money over time when running your appliances.

As you can see, creating an energy-efficient home isn’t that difficult. There are just some of the very simple steps you can take, and they don’t have to be carried out all at once. It may just be a good idea to make a few changes everyone now and then to create your energy-efficient home to enjoy with family and friends.

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