Keeping your home efficient is a matter of making energy-saving upgrades whenever you set out to work on a project. Read on to see five such upgrades you can make that will pay well for themselves in a short time.
Replace Your Old HVAC Unit
The first thing you can do is to get a new HVAC unit if you have an older one. If it’s getting to the end of its lifespan, you may experience lower efficiency from it. This is why you need to get a new unit if possible, and you will realize better function overall. For the air conditioner, even if it’s just 10 years old, you can save between 20% and 40% of your cooling energy costs by getting a newer and more efficient model. This is an upgrade you can do in a single day because you simply need to remove your existing unit and replace it with the new one, something that the sellers may arrange to have done for you.
Replace Leaking Fixtures
Another place you may be losing energy in your home is through your plumbing. If you can see any leaks in and around the house, it’s advisable to have them fixed right away. The cumulative drops that get lost through leaking can add up to quite a lot of water over time, and since you will pay for this water, it will be a loss on your end and a blow to the environment. Check all your fixtures, from the faucets to the showers, to sprinkler taps that just won’t close all the way. It may not feel like much, but you will see a difference when you get this done, making your home more efficient.
Install an Energy-Saving Heater
For your home’s heating needs, you can add some efficiency by installing an energy-saving heater. This will help you pay less to have the water you use in your home heated up. Although it may cost you more up front to get an energy-efficient heater, you will make good savings in the long run. This is an important upgrade to make when you consider that the Department of Energy shares that heating the water you use in your household could account for about 18% of the total energy used in your house. When you think about these numbers over time, you see that it’s a good investment to get energy-saving water heaters.
Get Modern Double-Pane Windows
If your home still has the old windows it came with, there’s a chance that you’re losing a lot of the treated temperate air indoors to that outside. Avoid this by installing double-pane windows which will help keep your house well-insulated. This is going to be possible thanks to the space between the two glass panes which will act as an extra layer of insulation for your home. When you upgrade your windows, you will also fix any gaps that may exist between the window and the glass, doing away with any leakage that may occur and exchange the air in your home for that outside.
Have an Energy Audit Done
Finally, you can call in an expert to perform an energy audit of your home. Doing this will show you any other upgrades that you need to make in order to make your home fully efficient. Note that higher temperatures are generally used for sanitizing, and they can go up to 160° and 180°, so for your washing, spare excessive heat unless you need to sanitize the garments. An energy audit will point out if you’re unnecessarily using heat and will help you get things done the right way.
Once you make these energy-saving upgrades, you will enjoy living in an efficient home that functions well. An extra benefit is that you will leave a smaller carbon footprint, and this is always a plus.
