Running a household is a huge expense. The average American family spends more than $2000 per year on utilities. And when you consider mortgage payments, food, and additional bills, you can see why many homeowners want to save money. Creating an energy-efficient home is one way to save money and reduce household expenses. Here are 5 energy-saving features to consider for your home.
1. Add a Rechargeable Battery
Home batteries work much like typical batteries. Instead of relying on electricity, a home battery can power your household using stored energy. The energy is supplied from the local power grid or from a renewable energy source, like solar or wind.
These batteries work similar to the rechargeable batteries found in phones and other electronics. The battery is attached to your home, and it charges and discharges just like any rechargeable battery. It’s possible to power most items with this type of battery. But it depends on the storage capacity of the battery and how much power is needed.
A battery for your home makes it possible to save money on electricity. Instead of exclusively using electricity, you can occasionally switch to battery power. When your home is using the battery, it’s not using electricity. And that means you’re saving money. You might want to charge the battery during times when you’re not using much power, such as late at night. But then use the battery during the day when your home has more energy demands.
2. Choose Energy Efficient Appliances
Energy Star appliances use less energy than standard appliances. That translates into savings, as less energy used means more money saved. Consider the following: a regular television continues to use around 6 watts when it’s turned off. But Energy Star televisions consume 3 or fewer watts when turned off. The numbers may not look big, but those numbers add up. You can recognize these appliances by the Energy Star logo.
Another suggestion is to look for an Energy Guide label. The Energy Guide label provides helpful information about an appliance. Most importantly, it shows how much energy an appliance uses per-year. All modern appliances should have an Energy Guide label. You can use the label to compare energy consumption for different appliances.
3. Upgrade the Roof
A cool roof reflects sunlight away from the home. It requires the use of reflective roofing materials, such as tiles, shingles, or paint. Deflecting heat away from the roof helps lower roofing temperatures. In short, a cool roof helps the home stay cooler by deflecting sunlight. This can possibly lower electricity costs in hot climates that require heavy air conditioning use.
4. Digital Thermostat
If you have central air and heating, you might want to consider adding a programmable thermostat. A digital thermostat offers several energy-saving and money-saving benefits over a traditional thermostat.
For one, you can program the thermostat to perform certain functions on a schedule. Say it’s the middle of summer, and you want the home cool when you arrive home from work. You can program the unit to run the heat or air on low for most of the day. And then you can set the unit to switch to high shortly before you’re due home. That keeps energy use low while you’re away, and only increases usage when you’re home.
5. Install Insulation
Insulation helps keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It prevents your money from floating out of the window in the form of lost energy. Insulation is most commonly found in attics, crawl spaces, and exterior walls. Most insulation is made from foam, fiberglass, or cellulose. But natural sheep’s wool is sometimes used.
An Energy-Efficient Home
Living in an energy-efficient home is a great way to reduce your expenses. The options mentioned here are generally affordable and easily implemented. Take time to make sure your home is as energy-efficient as possible.
