words Al Woods
Environmental awareness might be on the rise in 2022, but along these same lines, so are the need for lower energy costs. And let’s face it, life is expensive enough without needing to worry about costly energy bills.
Making your home more energy efficient can not only ease your budget woes, it can also reduce your environmental impact as well. And if either are concerns of yours, you’ll have many options to consider for meeting these goals.
Studies have shown that average home energy usage and costs fluctuate widely depending on time of year and the area in which they’re located. But on average, most homeowners spend approximately 2,000 dollars annually on energy costs. And in many cases, this can be greatly reduced.
Simple methods for making your home more efficient at retaining heat, and for keeping your home cooler are available today. If you’re interested in saving a little money and reducing your carbon footprint, the following will provide some helpful tips.
Windows
Believe it or not, heat loss and gain through windows is thought to be responsible for roughly 25 to 30 percent of energy usage. And this is a huge amount of energy lost or gained which often results in much higher energy bills.
Depending on your location and the style of your home, you could actually be losing much more money on energy costs.
For example, in Kansas City, you have frequent fluctuations in temperature with hot summers and cold, bone-chilling winters when the winds sweep across the plains. And if your windows aren’t sealed properly or up to date, you could be spending a fortune in energy costs.
As such, those who live in Kansas city should consult a Kansas City window replacement company to ensure that windows are installed and sealed properly.
Additionally, having adequate window treatments such as sheers, blinds, and even tinted windows can optimize your energy efficiency and reduce your annual energy costs.
Energy Saving Appliances
Since saving the planet also helps you save a little cash, this is an incentive for anyone to jump on the environmentally aware bandwagon in 2022. And even if you don’t agree with the politics surrounding environmental concerns, anyone can benefit from saving money.
Energy saving appliances allow you to enjoy lower energy costs while also easing strain on the power grid as well. This translates to a lower environmental footprint. A few energy saving appliances you may want to consider are as follows:
- Washers
- Dryers
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Smart sockets
- Energy saving light bulbs
- Smart thermostats
Additionally, you can also get a tax break each year by purchasing energy star appliances. This offers a further incentive for reducing your energy consumption by switching to or installing energy saving appliances and devices.
Unplug!
Perhaps the easiest way to save on energy is simple, just pull the plug. Studies have shown that you can save up to 200 dollars annually on energy costs by unplugging devices when they’re not in use.
Now you might find it to be a bit of a hassle to unplug all of your devices and appliances and plug them back in when you need to use them. But in the interest of saving money and helping to reduce your carbon footprint, this simple act can actually go a long way.
For example, it’s estimated that the average cell phone charger draws over 5 watts when charging, and up to 2.5 watts if left plugged in when fully charged. Additionally, an average laptop consumes around 29.5 watts if left plugged in after being fully charged. Essentially, unplugging chargers can save between 5 to 10 percent on energy costs annually for an average household.
Create a Better Interior Climate
In addition to making your home more energy efficient, you can also improve your home’s climate in a variety of ways. And this can not only help you save energy, it has health benefits as well.
Appliances such as humidifiers and dehumidifiers can create an interior environment that’s more conducive for better respiratory health, and they can alter the environment as you see fit in order to adjust for energy consumption. For example, using dehumidifiers in the summer will make your cooling bill less costly, and in some cases you might save up to 20 dollars per day.
Energy efficiency is much more than a talking point for environmentalists. At the end of the day, making your home more energy efficient has benefits that you’ll not only enjoy in the form of lower costs, but this also helps with lowering the cost of energy production as a whole.
