Inexpensive Improvements To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Everybody is looking for ways to make their home more energy efficient in order to conserve energy and to save some money along the way. Energy efficient homes provide significant savings as opposed to conventional homes and they are also better for the environment. From changing windows and making insulation adjustments to installing new flooring, buying new appliances and planting trees for smart landscaping, there are many ways people can transform their homes into energy efficient homes while making them more comfortable and improving the design and décor at the same time.  Conserving energy and reducing unnecessary energy consumption is not only for those who have a lot of money to invest in expensive home improvement projects. Those who can invest a lot of money should definitely do it since they will not only lowering their utility bills but they will also add more value to their homes however, there are also some inexpensive improvements people can make to make their home energy efficient and in this article we will talk about the most common and inexpensive ones.

Replace Incandescent Light Bulbs With Fluorescent Bulbs

Switching from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs, will allow you to use less energy and reduce the cost of your electrical bill. This is one of the reasons more and more people choose CFLs over traditional light bulbs. It was proven that fluorescent bulbs use only a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs and they also last 12 times longer. Even though CFLs cost more than incandescent bulbs, switching from traditional lighting to energy efficient lighting is an investment that on the long run will make you save up a lot of money and you will see a dramatic change in the energy usage.

Install A Programmable Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat is another great way to make your home more energy efficient and to cut energy usage and costs. According to the President of Alliance to Save Energy, programmable thermostats save about 10% of the heating bills during winter and the same percentage of the cooling bill during summer and, basically, they pay for themselves in just a few months. But the price of these thermostats is not very high anyway and they are a great investment. The best way to use a programmable thermostat is to set it to a higher temperature during the hot season and to a lower temperature when the weather is cold to reduce the energy usage as much as possible.

Install High-Efficiency Water Heaters

High efficiency water heaters are another great way to make a house more energy efficient. They can reduce the energy usage by 15-25% annually. When choosing the best energy efficient water healer it is best to compare fuel costs and to see which one will allow you to save more money. However, usually the conventional storage water heater uses more energy than an electric heat pump water heater. Also, the electric heat pump water heater uses less energy than gas-fired conventional storage water heater so in most cases the best energy efficient water heaters are electrical heat pump water heaters.