Make your home more energy-efficient with these eco upgrades

If you started feeling a bit guilty that you’re not doing your best to conserve our Mother Earth, you should stop and roll up your sleeves. There are amazing green upgrades that will turn your regular house into a real energy-efficient hub that will both save the environment and minimize your utility bills. Start with these updates today!

Ask for help

One of the smartest things you can do is have a professionally-conducted energy audit. The inspector will go around your home and locate weak areas that are wasting you a lot of energy and give you tips on how to reduce energy loss. The tips might range from expensive ones (that will start to earn you money after a few years) to ones that are super cheap or completely free and require only your effort!

Improve insulation

Did you know that some of the worst “energy wasters” in the household are often windows and doors that are poorly sealed? If you have doors and windows that leak air (test with your hand for drafts), your heating and cooling has to work overtime to achieve the optimal temperature in your home and you’re literally throwing money out the window.

So, do your best to improve insulation and keep the hot or cool air inside. There are energy-efficient windows and doors that will seal your house, make it look attractive and even boost its value! If you don’t want to spend that much (these new fixtures can get expensive), you can add weather strips around doors and windows and caulk small holes and cracks.

Aim for the sun

There are not many things in this world that are more natural and sustainable than the sun, so try to harness its immense power and introduce some of it into your home! Right now is the best time to invest in solar panels since they are at their cheapest and most efficient. Installing solar panels will minimize your energy bill, supply your home with clean energy, make you almost energy independent and even make you some money if you want to sell energy back to the supplier.

However, you need a good battery and an inverter to be able to use the energy you harvest. Luckily, there are many great products on the market. For instance, quality SMA inverters are suitable for everything from residential photovoltaic systems to large solar plants and they give you excellent results for the money you invest. So, once you find quality inverters, panels and batteries, you’ll enjoy plenty of clean energy for many years to come!

Update your lighting

Not all updates are as big as solar panels. Some are quite small, but very important, like replacing your old bulbs with LEDs. LEDs are much more energy-efficient and have a lifespan that’s up to ten times longer when compared to traditional bulbs. Some models (like the Philips Hue bulbs) can even connect to your phone and turn on/off with a touch on your smartphone!

Let the sunshine in

An even better way to illuminate your home is to boost natural light with large windows, skylights and skydomes. When you combine these fixtures, you’ll welcome natural light even into the deepest and darkest corners of your home and illuminate them for free! Windows and skylights also provide extra ventilation which can lower your need for cooling. It’s a win-win situation!

Keep the heat out

Together with natural light, large wall and roof windows will also welcome an unwanted guest – heat. However, just by adding blackout shades or thick curtains to your windows, you can block solar heat and ensure energy saving. Today, there are even motorized shades that you can control from your bed, car or office, so that the sun can’t trick you even when you’re not near your window treatment!

Invest in smart heating and cooling

If it seems to you like you’re wasting a lot of energy on your heating and cooling, you’re probably right. But, if you replace your old thermostat with something “smart”, you can reduce that energy waste while still enjoying a comfy temperature in your home. These new thermostats learn about your habits, find best ways to heat and cool your home and automatically adjust the temperature based on your comings and goings!

Upgrade your water heater

Upgrading your old water heater with something more energy-efficient can ensure faster water heating, your water staying hot for a longer time and minimal energy usage during the heating process. So, look for Energy Star heaters or even opt for a solar one that uses the sun’s energy to heat your water! Your showers will be super relaxing and guilt-free!

Some energy efficiency updates require serious investment, others cost only a few dollars, but they all achieve great energy-saving results, especially when combined. So, implement these tips into your home and do something good for the planet and your wallet!