Winter Comfort for Less: Seven Incredibly Affordable Energy Saving Improvements - Go Green - SustainLane

It happens every winter: Homeowners find themselves torn between the need to keep their homes and family comfortable and the dread of having to pay increasing energy bills.

Understandably so, because the bulk (43% in average) of a typical home’s total energy consumption is spent in heating and cooling. Another 12% is spent in water heating. That means over half of what you pay every month goes toward making your home livable. Thus, a small increase in heat and hot water consumption can easily result in an unmanageably high utility bill.

The best way to avoid unpleasant surprises on your next bill is to do anything you can to take control over your home’s energy consumption, rather than let it control you.

Fortunately, since our understanding of building science and performance has significantly improved over the past few years, taking control over your energy consumption no longer means wearing heavy sweaters and layers of blankets indoors, skipping showers, or risking frost bite while doing the dishes.

It also doesn’t mean you need to cough up a large sum to upgrade every single system in your home at once to be able to reap any significant savings in energy. There are a few very small and very affordable steps you can take right now, for little or no money, which can help you save a few dollars almost immediately.

1– Let the sun shine in

Nature has provided us with a free, environmentally friendly and all-natural heat source: the sun. Opening the curtains and letting the sun shine in during the cold winter months, and then taking every step to optimize and conserve that heat gain is a great way to stay warm for less. Windows are excellent conductors of radiant heat from the sun, so seal, weather strip and caulk any openings around the window and window sill and open up the curtains during the day.

2 – Stop overheating your water

If you have to run the cold water along with the hot water to keep from being scorched in the shower, your water heater is working much more than it should. And it is consuming more energy than needed. Manufacturers usually set the thermostat to temperatures as high as 140 degrees. That is about 20 degrees higher than necessary. By turning down your thermostat and reducing the water temperature only 10 degrees, you can save 3 to 5% in water heating costs.

3 – Wrap your water heater

Touch your water heater tank. If it feels warm to the touch, it is loosing heat. That means the water will eventually cool down and be reheated over and over, whether you are using it or not. It happens 24/7, 365 days a year, when you are sleeping, and when you are not home. You are paying for it every single time. If you can’t invest on an updated tank-less water heater, insulating your existing one to prevent standby heat loss is a simple and very affordable way to curb energy loss. While you are at it, consider insulating the pipes as well!

4 – Upgrade your shower head and use aerators on the faucets

Diminishing the amount of water you use when you shower or use the sink saves the energy that is needed to heat the water that is otherwise wasted. Efficient shower heads and flow regulators are not expensive and provide substantial savings in water heating costs.

5 - Install a programmable thermostat

What if you could set your thermostat to operate on “cruise control?” Imagine never again having to drive to work wondering if you forgot to adjust the thermostat. It would automatically turn down when you’re not home, saving you energy, and then turn back up just a few minutes before you get home so you can walk into a comfortable temperature every single time.

Well, programmable thermostats do just that. They are mini computers that store data about your home usage and preferred temperature settings, and set the HVAC system to function accordingly. They are not expensive, especially if you consider the pay off: substantial energy savings along with great peace of mind. Hard to beat that deal!

6 – Replace your incandescent light bulbs with CFLs

I know you probably heard this before. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL) save money and last longer. However they are also more expensive than incandescent lights, which is why many homes still don’t use them. Are the savings worth paying 2 to 4 times more for a CFL bulb than you would for a conventional incandescent? Here are some facts that may help you answer that question. If you replace ten standard 60-watt bulbs and five standard 100-watt bulbs with the equivalent CFL, you can save as much as $120 a year, depending on where you live. Over the life of your new CFLs (10,000 hours), you can save more than $650! Isn’t that enough for you to consider replacement?

7 – Install motion switches

Motion switches have sensors that turn the lights on when movement is detected in a given room and shut off when no movement is detected for a certain period of time.

If you have ever had to wrestle with the idea of getting out of your warm bed to turn off lights you may have left on, or if you have ever caught yourself sounding just like your parents, admonishing the children that are tall enough to operate the switch but forget to do so, you will most likely benefit from having motion switches in certain rooms of your home. Relatively inexpensive, they can save you a lot of money and a lot of worry.

Keep in mind that all of the above tips will, of course, help you save some money, but they might be only touching the tip of the iceberg in terms of cutting energy consumption. If you are struggling with high energy bills, there is a chance that your home is wasting a lot of energy and consuming much more than needed.

You might want to consider calling in a home energy conservation specialist to perform a full energy assessment. These professionals will evaluate your home and family's needs, help you determine other ways to save even more in utility bills, and show you which upgrades will give you the best results for each dollar invested.

via sustainlane.com