Blogs
5 Ways to Make Your Home Energy Efficient
11/3/2020
Heating houses in the winter can easily cost more than cooling them in the summer. After all, it takes a lot less energy to keep a house at 70-degrees in 90-degree weather than it does in 20-degree weather.
Fortunately, there are ways to lower your heating bill without lowering the heat. Making your home more energy-efficient will reduce the amount of energy necessary to keep it warm, lowering your heating bill.
Below are some of the best ways to make your home more energy-efficient. There are other methods out there, but these are the five most common.
1. Use the Sun
If your house has windows facing south, open the curtains on those windows during the day. They’ll let in sunlight essentially all day, and that sunlight will naturally warm your house. Then close the curtains at night to trap the heat. Note, this only works with south-facing windows all day. East-facing windows will only let in the morning sun, and west-facing windows will only let in the afternoon sun. These are still somewhat useful, but not nearly as much as southward-facing windows.
2. Find and Seal Drafts
Your house may have more drafts than you realize. Just because a home does not feel “drafty” does not mean that there are no drafts. There may be small openings around windows and doors that let air (and heat!) escape. Unfinished areas behind cupboards can leak heat, and anywhere in the building where plumbing enters and leaves should be sealed tight. Even the chimney for the fireplace can be leaking heat if the cut-through in the roof has not been properly sealed, or if the seal is old and worn out. Sealing off these drafts can save you a lot of money.
Additional Resource: 7 Best Companies for Affordable Window Replacements
3. Insulate Your House
All homes are built with insulation, but many people do not realize that some maintenance must be done to keep the house insulated. Check the attic first. Hot air rises, and if the attic is poorly insulated you could be losing a lot of heat. If the insulation looks thin or uneven, you will need to add more. This is something that you can do easily on your own. Checking the insulation in the walls is more challenging, and you will likely need professional help both to check it and to add new insulation. Fortunately, insulation problems in the attic are far more likely.
4. Switch the Direction Your Ceiling Fan Rotates
Most fans are set to rotate counterclockwise. This pulls cool air up from the floor and blows it back down, redistributing it and making the room feel cooler. In the winter though, it is not as helpful. Instead, switch the fans so that they turn clockwise. Hot air rises, which means when your heater is on, the warmest air in the house will gather at the ceiling. Switching the fans to turn clockwise will blow all that hot air back down and make the room feel warmer. In turn, you will not need to turn the heat up as high.
5. Lower the Temperature, Wear More Clothes
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency is simply to lower the thermostat. You do not need to shut off the heat altogether, but you also do not need the house to be so warm that you can wear shorts indoors in the winter. Keeping your thermostat between 60 and 70 degrees can save up to 5 percent on your energy bill for each degree. Sixty-five degrees will still feel a lot warmer than the air outside. Lower the thermostat and simply wear more warm clothing like sweatpants at home. You will save money and still be quite comfortable.
Have a Question? We Can Help.
If you have more questions about how to maximize your home’s energy efficiency or would like some professional tips on how to do so, contact Service Legends Heating & Cooling today. We have a Ph.D. in making you comfy!
515-657-6634Request Appointment Online
Additional Resources
- Insulate Your Windows to Save on Heating
- Tricks of the Trade for Home Insulation
- How to Cut Costs With Proper Ventilation and Attic Vent Fans
- June 2024
- January 2024
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- May 2021
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- July 2018
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013