With winter approaching soon, runaway utility bills can easily become an additional monthly expense for households. Making your dollar stretch further with energy efficiency tips can go a long way towards curbing these costs, and having an energy star rated home can add up to 9% to the home’s value in some regions according to the Department of Energy. With rebate plans and incentives offered by many utilities for energy efficiency audits and improvements, as well as energy star rated appliances made available at most retail outlets, making your home more energy efficient has never been easier.
Even if you can’t make big improvements like these, either because of the upfront investment, or other constraints, there are still improvements that can be made without spending too much time or money. Here are just a few energy efficiency tips the average homeowner can invest a little in to save a lot on utility bills:
Smart Power Strips
Smart Strip power strips decrease the phantom loads of devices that are plugged in but not in use by cutting power to them when they aren’t being used. Also, the average smart power strip pays for itself in the first few months with energy savings. Buying and using a smart power strip can save money with little effort!
Switch Lightbulbs to LEDs
Perhaps the easiest energy efficiency tip one could do is to change energy inefficient lightbulbs to LED lightbulbs. Compared to incandescent bulbs, LED lightbulbs can last up to 25 years and save $200 over the life of the bulbs, and what could be easier than changing a lightbulb?
Install a Smart Thermostat
Another fairly easy energy efficiency tip, installing a smart thermostat. Saving money on your energy bill can be easy with a smart thermostat – replacing your old thermostat with a new smart thermostat, and using it, can save up to 33% on energy bills!
Replace HVAC and Furnace Filters
Cleaning and replacing clogged air filters in your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment is a quick and easy way to improve air flow and decrease the amount of energy needed to circulate warm or cool air throughout your home. Just replacing filters monthly can be a great energy efficiency tip!
Raise Refrigerator Temperature
Simply turning a dial or pushing a button to increase the temperature on your refrigerator can save up to 10% on energy costs. For fresh food, 36-38 degrees Fahrenheit are suggested, and for freezers, zero to 5 degrees are recommended to keep food cool, while avoiding energy drain.
Implementing just a few of these energy efficiency tips are a great way to save money, while you’re helping save our planet.
