Modifications to your Home that can help reduce your Energy Bills

Modifications to your Home that can help reduce your Energy Bills

Reducing energy billsis something that many consumers struggle with.  But according to a new survey from npower, 46% of participants believe they can’t afford to pay for the home improvements required to save energy and money.   Here you will be given direct tips to help reduce those bills and none of which are as expensive to implement as you may think.

Insulate around Windows

Insulation around windows is important. This helps to reduce the amount of heat or cold that is experienced around them. Extreme temperature changes can cause window frames to warp.External wall insulation around windows acts as a thermal barrier to keep hot out and cold in, and vice versa.

Install Ceiling Fans

Although a ceiling fan does use energy, in the summer months it helps maintain a steady temperature. When you have central air conditioning or wall units, ceiling fans help circulate the cool air better. The same works for circulating heat in the winter. This means you’ll end up using less air conditioning and central heating overall, reducing your costs.

Energy efficient ceiling fans that carry an ENERGY STAR or similar rating, are ideal to install in the home. They function well, with the same force as traditional ceiling fans, and use less energy.

Convert to LED or CFL bulbs

The expense of converting to LED and CFL light bulbs may seem as if it is too much for some families. The idea is to replace the bulbs in the lights that are used the most first. Gradual changes can be just as effective.

This modification is simple, and requires no construction or remodeling. If anything, you might be removing some light fixtures since these light bulbs do emit a more pure, white light than traditional bulbs.

Benefits to using these bulbs:

• Less eye strain
• CFL bulbs last up to 10,000 hours
• LED bulbs last up to 25 years
• Reduces the cost of bulb replacement
• Pulls less electricity

Install Radiant Heat Flooring

Reduce heating costs in the winter by installing radiant heat flooring. This is another modification that requires spending now, but saving continuously in the future. The floors can be regulated to heat at specific times of the day.

This practice reduces the amount of times a furnace or boiler will run in a single day. These systems use a much larger amount of energy than the radiant heat flooring.

Use Window Tinting

Window tinting helps to keep some of the heat from the sun out of the house. In combination with ample insulation, this will help to keep the heat inside the house to a minimum, causing air conditioners to run less in the summer.

During the winter months, it is ideal to remove this window tinting to let the sun in. The sun will help to heat rooms a bit on its own.

Check Door Frames for Drafts

If you have drafty doors, this could be costing you a lot of money in regards to energy bills. Replace the doors or install weather stripping as a temporary solution. When doors leak, it causes any heated or cooled air to seep out.This, in turn, results in heating and cooling systems running more. You can also install insulated doors. This is an easy modification that is not a large expense.

Use Lighting Timers, Motion Sensors and Solar Options

The lighting options in your home are a big part of where energy is pulled from. Of course, appliances play a role in this too depending on their energy efficiency ratings.

Consider replacing all of the light sources in your home with energy efficient materials. Rewiring the home with a better electrical system is part of this process. Older homes may still be using aluminum wiring, which is unsafe to begin with.

Solar lighting is ideal for outdoor spaces as it uses the sun to power them during hours of darkness. Motion sensor lighting is ideal for outdoor and bathroom uses as they turn off after a short period of time. Timers on lights turn the lights on and off at specific times, in case you forget to do so manually.

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