Creating an Energy-Efficient Home

If you make your home more energy efficient, not only will you save money on your gas and electric costs, you will also help the environment. While it may be easier to turn the thermostat up if you feel a draft, it is more cost-advantageous—and eco-friendly—to find the source of the air leak and repair it. Here are some great ways for creating a more energy-efficient home:

• Use a gas oven or stove rather than electric, since gas appliances radiant more heat for less money than do electric appliances.
• Insulate your water heater to conserve energy, prevent heat loss, and lower your energy bill.
• Replace furnace filters regularly.
• Clean the lint filter of your clothes dryer every time you dry a load of clothes. Your dryer will work more efficiently, using less energy.
• Use low-flow showerheads that deliver the same amount of heat, using less water and energy.
• Replace all of the lightbulbs in your house with lower-watt fluorescent bulbs. They not only use less energy, but they last longer than incandescent bulbs.
• Something as simple as turning off all of the lights when you leave a room can help save energy.
• Install a programmable thermostat. You can program it to set to a lower temperature during the day when no one is home.
• Update and install energy-efficient doors and windows.
• Use ceiling fans to help circulate hot air trapped at the ceiling down into the room. Conversely, reverse the fan rotation during summer months to help pull warm air up towards the ceiling.
• The next time you need to replace an appliance, choose those with a higher energy rating.
• Since they can provide natural daylight and ventilation, consider installing a skylight.

Use common sense when thinking about how to use energy more efficiently. Instead of heating up the oven range, use your microwave oven to cook foods. Switch out your old computer for a sleek laptop, which uses less energy. In nice weather, hang your clothes to dry instead of using a clothes dryer. Use outdoor solar lighting instead of electrical lighting. If you see damaged or cracked caulking around windows, replace it so to cut down cold drafts in the winter, and air conditioning loss in summer. Hang drapes at your windows during all seasons to help insulate rooms.