Don’t Run on Empty: Increase your Home’s Energy Efficiency
By Thomas` | March 28, 2009
Would it surprise you to know that up to 15% of our power
bills are spent simply on electric lighting? Perhaps many of
us are not aware of the small, yet effective ways we could
economize on our energy payments.
For those of us who do not have homes built in the last few
'energy-conscious' years, there are still ways that we can
'green-up' our homes. Many of the obvious ways have to be
incorporated into the actual construction, but there is
always room for improvement, even with new houses.
Statistics say that air conditioners and heaters suck up the
largest supply of energy in the home and that reverting back
to the old fashioned methods of keeping cool may cut down on
our energy bills.
One old fashioned method for keeping your house cool is not
to let the sun shine on your windows. Glass heats up very
quickly and the warmth radiates into your home just as if
the oven door was open. Drop down blinds on the outside of
your house are the easiest and most efficient way to keep
the sun off your glass windows. A cheap and effective
alternative, which you can use temporarily each summer, is
the bamboo roll down shade. It attaches to the outside of
your home - even a couple of nails will hold it if you're
desperate, and it stops the sun from heating up your glass.
Failing this, blinds closed on the inside of your windows
will stop the heat from moving too far into your room.
Likewise the closing of drapes helps keep the heat within
the window area. However, the use of external bamboo roller
blinds - especially on south facing windows - will make a
noticeable difference.
Another old fashioned of keeping your home comfortable
throughout the year is to plant trees and shrubs against the
house. In the Mediterranean, for instance, large olive trees
which 'fan out' are planted near the windows. They keep the
house permanently in shade in the summer but in the winter
the leaves fall and the sunlight can shine into your home.
Another point to consider is this: throwing open the doors
and windows to give a cross-breeze is also a way of letting
in the warm air. Therefore, if the roof of your home is well
insulated, it is often better to keep all the windows and
doors closed. The cooler overnight temperature will last
longer - as long as your roof is well insulated.
If you incorporate these ideas into your home, you'll notice
a difference in your air conditioning consumption. Heating
costs, however, are more difficult to manage.
Old fashioned draft strips really do work to keep the warm
air in, and the cool air out. They're very inexpensive to
buy, so they can be used in the winter and discarded for
spring.
You'll want to check your furnace as well, as older furnaces
sometimes run very inefficiently. This means that you're
paying more to heat your house than you need to. The newer
models are far more energy efficient, and well worth the
initial costs of buying a new unit.
Since lighting covers up to 15% of the power bill, it must
be included in any economical measures. Turning off lights
when leaving the room, not leaving computers or TVs on
standby - all these save power. A big change would be to
replace your incandescent lamps with fluorescent lights. You
will have four times the amount of light per watt, the bulb
will cost one third as much to operate and will last ten
times longer!
Finally you can look at your hot water system - another
possible 15% of your total bill. If you do not want to
switch to the new 'tankless' hot water on tap method, then
try installing energy efficient flow controls for your
showers and sinks. The volume of water is reduced without
the pressure being compromised.
Most of these changes are inexpensive to implement, but will
give you noticeable returns on your energy bills.
The Affinity Group is a prominent name in Denver real
estate, with agents specializing in working with both buyers
and sellers of real estate throughout the Denver area.
Visit JakeMarsh.com for details about their services,
property listings, and information about their service
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