Whether you are moving into a new home or renovating an existing one, it makes sense to build sustainability into your plans. Sustainability is the future because it creates a more carbon-neutral world, but in the short term, it can also save you significant sums of money.
Effective Insulation
The home is a sanctuary, especially in the winter when the weather is cold and uninviting outside. It’s easy to switch on the heating and stand beside the radiator to warm up, but how efficient is your home’s energy? Do you even know how much heat is lost through the walls?
In general, homes lose around 35% of heat through the walls and ceiling and around 10% through the floors. While there is not much that can be done about heat loss, it can be reduced using effective insulation. Choose interior or exterior insulation from All Seasons Interiors Ltd
Water Softener
Water is used throughout our homes and on a daily basis we heat the water for heating, washing clothes and dishes, showers and baths, kettles and more. Unfortunately, many homes in the UK are supplied with hard water which causes limescale. Limescale build up compromises the efficiency of appliances as they need to use more energy to heat the water. For example, just 1.6mm of scale build up in your heating system can reduce its efficiency by up to 12%. By installing a water softener it removes the minerals that cause limescale, allowing your appliances to perform better saving you energy and money.
Double Glazing
A lot of heat energy is lost through the walls, floors, and ceilings, but one of the worst offenders is the windows that lose heat at an alarming rate. If you have single-glazed windows in your home, you can expect to lose around 20% of the heat you generate through the thin glass.
Of course, you don’t have to abandon your windows to save heat energy; all you have to do is invest in the right way and use the best practices to reduce heat loss. Install double or triple glazing in your home and hang heavy curtains, especially in the winter, to reduce heat loss.
Solar Panels
In recent years solar panels, made from photovoltaic cells, have become more efficient. These solar panels are expensive to buy and install, but they are a long-term investment. Solar panels gather the sun’s energy and convert it to electrical energy to use for general usage in the home.
Solar panels make an excellent investment because they provide your home with free energy. Not only that, solar panels can generate supplementary energy that can be sold back to the grid as renewable energy. Not only do solar panels save you money, but they help you to earn profit.
Energy Star Appliances
While Energy Star ratings are normally applied to American products, other geographical regions have their equivalents. Energy Star appliances must adhere to a strict set of criteria with regard to their efficiency and sustainability. Buying these products helps to improve your home.
Energy Star appliances use less energy or have instructions on how to use the product so that it’s more sustainable. For instance, an energy star kettle might instruct you not to boil water over a certain level for maximum efficiency. Of course, this helps you to reduce your energy costs.
Storage Heaters
A storage heater is like a smart radiator, but instead of filling up with heated water that requires a lot of energy, a storage heater contains heat-absorbing bricks that gather low-cost energy through the night when it’s a lot cheaper. This heat is then distributed throughout the house.
Replacing older appliances with Energy Star appliances is a great suggestion. Old appliances like boilers, water heaters and air conditioners can, over time, become complete energy drains. An Energy Star-certified appliance use anywhere from 10 to 50 percent less energy each year than a non-energy efficient equivalent.
While they may be a little expensive to purchase and install, the savings they can offer will make it an economically and environmentally viable decision over the long run. You should even consider second-hand appliances with an Energy Star rating. This way you are saving yourself money and giving perfect good appliances a new life.
I agree that using ENERGY STAR-labeled appliances can greatly improve a home’s energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint. However, even if you don’t have new high-efficient equipment such as heaters and air conditioners, you can drastically improve the efficiency of your system by doing regular maintenance.
Even such a thing as a clean air conditioner filter can make a big difference. The good news is that changing a filter is pretty easy, and you can do it yourself just for 5-10 minutes. But if you have never done this, you can hire an HVAC contractor for the first time to show you how to do it correctly.
Yes, it’s always a good decision to switch to Energy Star-rated appliances. While they may be a little expensive to purchase and install, the savings they can offer will make it an economically and environmentally viable decision over the long run. Depending on the number and type of appliances you purchase, you can expect to save anywhere between 20 to 50 percent on your monthly energy bills. You may also want to consider slightly used appliances. This way you are saving yourself money and giving perfect good appliances a new life.
While Energy Star ratings are normally applied to American products, other geographical regions have their equivalents. brick cleaner near me
Another thing I want to suggest is not really a home improvement but a habit you should definitely get. I’m talking about cleaning HVAC units and changing air filters. When the system is clean, and nothing prevents the airflow, it works 5-15% more efficiently, which means consumes less energy to function.
Great ideas! By the way, a programmable thermostat installation can also be a good home improvement. With a programmable thermostat, you can cut your energy consumption without even thinking about it. Just set the thermostat to turn down when you’re away from the house so you aren’t wasting energy when you’re not even home to use it. ENERGY STAR estimates that homeowners properly using programmable thermostats can save about $180 a year.
If you are still using a regular thermostat, we have some tips for you as well: https://www.sandersandjohnson.com/save-money-on-your-heating-bills-by-adjusting-the-thermostat/.
Good article. Thank you for sharing your ideas. Another home improvement I want to suggest is replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights. This is such an easy way to make a home more appealing and increase its energy efficiency. This article says https://www.gervaismechanical.com/led-lights-how-much-can-you-save/, that compared to conventional incandescent lights, LEDs can live up to 25 times longer and consume up to 90% less energy.
Yes, LEDs are the best energy-efficient light bulb for home use, and investing in dimmer switches can maximize your energy savings even further. Dimmer switches also extend the life of your light bulbs.
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Solar panels are actually worth the investment. But despite this, tehy still can seem expesinve to install.
If you wan to install solar panels, remember that you can qualify for getting tax credit that will greatly reduce the payback period of the panels. Read more about this in the article: http://www.edelmaninc.com/how-efficient-are-solar-panels/.
Good ideas! May I also suggest installing eco-friendly plumbing fixtures? Like, for instance, a high-efficiency toilet. This article (https://polestarplumbing.com/tips-tricks/earth-friendly-plumbing-fixtures) says that older toilets can use up to 7 gallons a flush. Most high-efficiency toilets use only 1.5 gallons of water per flush or even less.
It’s more expensive to buy but it won’t take much time to pay off. After all, by installing such items, you will pay less for water bills.
Homeowners can also make their homes more sustainable by installing tankless water heaters.
According to this article https://escoutah.com/tank-or-tankless-water-heaters/, such models are 24–34 percent more energy-efficient than a traditional tank in households using less than 41 gallons of hot water daily.
Hello there! Thanks for this article.
If you have a swimming pool, here is what you can do to make it more eco-friendly:
1. Purchase a smaller, more efficient pump;
2. Lower your pool’s temperature;
3. Choose an energy-efficient heater;
4. Invest in automated pool features.
When the system is clean, and nothing prevents the airflow, it works 5-15% more efficiently, which means consumes less energy to function.Rodent control Sydney
Depending on the number and type of appliances you purchase, you can expect to save anywhere between 20 to 50 percent on your monthly energy bills. You may also want to consider slightly used appliances.restaurants
I totally agree with your idea of doing research in renovating your home. Now here’s what I can suggest, DIY became so popular nowadays, lots of influencers and content creator spread information about DIY. Home renovations can be so costly, but with proper research and following how others done it, it should not be that difficult.install new drywall
Such a thing as an HVAC filter can also contribute to energy conservation. And it’s not just about the timely replacement of filters. Any air filter with a MERV rating higher than 13 will restrict airflow, which could make your HVAC system work harder and consume more energy.
The best MERV rating for a home is somewhere between 8-10. These filters will capture a large portion of the airborne particles and improve indoor air quality without increasing energy consumption.
Depending on the number and type of appliances you purchase, you can expect to save anywhere between 20 to 50 percent on your monthly energy bills. You may also want to consider slightly used appliances. go now
Also, don’t forget about windows. On average, 25% of your energy bill is caused by insufficient windows. If windows in your home are outdated, poorly installed, or simply not as energy efficient as you’d like, consider updating them or completely replace them, depending on your budget.
If you live in an area with extreme temperatures in winter, consider thermally broken windows as an alternative to traditional options. Here’s what you may need to know about that: https://portella.com/blog/thermally-broken-windows-worth-it/.
Great ideas! By the way, a programmable thermostat installation can also be a good home improvement. With a programmable thermostat, you can cut your energy consumption without even thinking about it.ronselighting.com
I completely agree with the point made in this article about energy-efficient appliances. But I also need to add that even if you have high-efficient appliances like Energy Star air conditioners, you need to remember about regular air conditioner maintenance. Otherwise, it won’t bring good results.
Chocolate Pecan Pie is my favorite. I didn’t make one this year because I eat most of it and I’m trying to get some pounds off. Maybe I’ll make it for Christmas if I meet my goals. Savor every delicious bite!!
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