Being energy efficient at home reduces the impact on your wallet and the environment. However saving energy at home doesn’t have to involve lots of money or effort. If you carry out some
essential home improvements and commit to a few lifestyle changes, you will notice the difference.
Home improvements
Make sure your central heating system can work efficiently by sealing up any gaps in your home that could be letting cold air in and warm air out. Check around your home for gaps under doors, cracks in walls and floorboards, and openings around windows and make any essential repairs. Make or buy a draft excluder to close up gaps under doors. Check your windows for drafts and seal up the gaps if possible. If your windows are old or damaged, it may be worth looking into new
window installation in Utah to avoid drafts. There are many options for sealing up cracks in your walls e.g. plaster, tapes and resin.
Paying a one-off cost to insulate your walls and roof can save you a great deal of money on your energy bills going forward. If you already have insulation, make sure it is up to scratch. If it is not, you may wish to look into replacing or adding an extra layer to your existing insulation.
Lifestyle changes
If you are wandering the house in your t-shirt and shorts during winter then, you are not energy efficient. In order to save energy you should layer up your clothes instead of turning on the heating, when possible. The rule is, if you feel warm enough with a couple of layers of clothing on then you should not need to turn the heating on. Try leaving the heating turned off while you are moving around your home and turn it on once you sit down.
Wash your clothes at a lower temperature. A large amount of energy is used by
washing machines when heating the water. Many laundry detergents advertise that they work just as well at a lower temperature so try washing your clothes at 30 degrees. Tumble dryers also use a lot of energy so try air drying them indoors, or outdoors if the weather is good.
Heat up your house for free. Open those curtains and blinds and let the sun shine in through the windows. The sun that pours through your windows in winter can also be pleasantly warm so remain in your sunny rooms for longer and delay putting the heating on.
Turn your devices of at the sockets when they are not being used. Even in standby mode electronic appliances use energy. Before you go to bed and when you leave the house, do check to make sure all electricity sockets are turned off.
Fill your kettle up with the amount of water you need, and no more. Instead of guessing and heating up too much water each time, try filling your cup with cold water to the amount that you require and then pour this into the kettle to boil.
Be efficient with your oven. When using the oven to cook something for dinner, think about your meals for the rest of the week and decide on what can be cooked at the same time.