Winter is coming, and you may be dreading the bills that come with heating your home, your showers, your washer and dryer…fortunately, there are some energy efficient home improvements that will help lower these bills.
We have enough to be thinking about with getting our cars ready for the snowstorms, bribing our children to help us shovel the driveway, and planning not one, but two major holiday dinners. If you are thinking about clearing some of your winter worries away, think about some home improvements that will help cut energy costs.
SolvIt helps homeowners find ways to save energy and savings with our home energy checkups. To help, please find a list of the best energy efficient improvement and upgrades for your home.
Get an Energy Audit for Your Home
The first thing you want to do is have someone come out do an energy audit on your home. This is the absolute best way to find out where your home needs improving. Think of it like a check-up for your home. An auditor will come in and test things in your home like door and windows for leaks, your water heater, furnace, and air conditioning units. They can also help you with low-flow faucets and showerheads.
But don’t just take our word for home energy audits. The Washington Post explains how they help:
“Getting a quick energy assessment or a more thorough energy audit can determine how much energy your home uses, as well as which upgrades would make the most sense for your home and your finances. An audit may include an energy rating, a number that indicates how energy-efficient your home is and how much it will increase if you make recommended upgrades.”
Add Energy Efficient Lighting
This is one of the well-known ways to save energy. Over the years, lightbulbs have become more energy efficient. The old incandescent bulbs used up a lot more energy than the halogen incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs you can find today. They use less energy and last longer, which means you have one less thing to worry about this winter.
Consider Energy Efficient Appliances
Winter is a time of hibernation, of family. For moms and dads that means it’s a time of laundry and dishes. Whether you have children home from college or little ones playing outside in the snow, you are doubtless doing more laundry and dishes in the winter. All of this appliance usage can be taxing on your home’s energy.
Consider upgrading your appliances. Washers, dryers and dishwashers are sometimes running non-stop during the winter. By upgrading to energy efficient appliances you can cut costs and save energy all while limiting your family’s carbon footprint. You can look into other appliances as well such as refrigerators, dehumidifiers, and computers.
Smart Thermostats Add Value
You have dinners to plan, holiday parties and pageants to attend, winter cleaning to get to. The last thing you should be worrying about is your thermostat. The world outside our home does not remain a consistent temperature all day, why should the inside? As the day warms up outside, we want to lower the temperature inside. At night we may want it a bit cooler. No one wants to run to the thermostat every few hours, but that is the reality with most homes.
If you would like to leave the worry over heating and cooling to someone (or something) else, then you may want to consider having a smart thermostat installed in your home.
Remember Your Water Heater
Winter means hot chocolate, cuddling and watching movies, warm baths, and hot showers. Those last two come with a higher price, but they are the sort of things that no one can do without when it’s cold outside. In order to enjoy those hot showers, we need hot water, and for that, we look to our water heaters.
Stay ahead of those problems by making sure your water heater is in good repair. If you are not sure, then it is important to understand how a water heater fits your needs.