With every day that passes by, each and everything that one needs to live a comfortable life becomes more and more expensive, but this shouldn’t be the reason to give up on the basic necessities that are every essential.
One thing that you can do is make your house energy-efficient and save a lot of amounts that you spend on the bills and spend it elsewhere.
We have come up with 11 clever home improvement ideas that you can implement and make your house energy-efficient and safe. These are the changes that you can make:
1. Replace old appliances with new ones
The manufacturers, with easy passing day, are realizing the need for energy-efficient products and launching new technology that is more efficient and less energy-consuming.
Most of the appliances, especially the cooling and heating systems that are more than ten years old, are out of date and need replacement. Even some of the cheaper ones consume less electricity than the older ones.
You can even get programmable electronic devices that turn on and off automatically as per the need and save energy.
2. Add Insulation on the roof or in the Attic
Insulated sheets are one of the best ways to reduce the bills in your home. Insulation will make your home retain its temperature to a great extent, whether its summers or winters. In summers, insulation will keep the house protected from the outside warmth, and in winters, it will keep the heat inside the house and keep you warm. That’s why people consider under concrete slab insulation that holds heat and secure a healthy indoor environment.
Insulation can help reduce the amount that you have to spend on heating and cooling systems and the bills that come with them.
Replacing your boiler system can be a great way to make your home more energy efficient. Older boiler and central heating systems can become very inefficient. Before getting a boiler replacement, make sure to look up what the best combi boiler for 2021 is to get a glimpse of what the new modern boilers on the market have to offer. If you dread the cost of installing a new boiler and central heating system homeowners can qualify for a central heating grant. Find out how here.
3. Dusk to dawn LEDs
Most of the time, after dawn, even though the sun is high and it’s bright enough naturally, we still don’t turn off the lights while we are sleeping in, etc. This also costs a lot of money and consumes a lot of energy.
One way to cope with this waste of energy is by replacing the lighting in your home with dusk to dawn LED lights that are automatic and turn on at dust and turn off at dawn.
Also, as they are LED, they consume a lot less energy as compared to incandescent light bulbs.
4. Install doors and windows and make them airtight
Sealing the doors and windows and making them airtight, goes a long way in saving energy.
If the room is sealed, you can cool it or warm it, and once you have achieved the desired temperature, you can turn the cooling or the heating system off.
5. Install Dual Flush Toilets in place of the simple ones
One person in the house uses the bathroom 4-5 times a day or more, and every time we use it, we flush, even though, most of the time, there’s no need for a full flush.
As per research, you can save almost $100 a year if you spend less water while flushing. This can be achieved by replacing the simple flushes with dual ones. Dual flushes got two handles, which flush with different quantities of water as per the need.
6. Install shower drips
Another way of reducing water consumption is by replacing the shower with shower drips.
Shower drips are particularly designed showers that allow you to put the shower on drip mode, where it reduces the amount of water to mere dripping and allows you to lather and put the shampoo on. You can switch it to shower mode, whenever you want.
7. Use ceiling fans instead of air-conditioning
Another great way of minimizing electrical energy consumption is by replacing the air conditioners with ceiling fans.
Though less effective than ACs, they still cost way less than what air conditioners normally do.
If your house is insulated and sealed, then you don’t have any need for air-conditioning, and you can make the switch to ceiling fans.
8. Switch from simple water heaters to tank-less ones or electrical geezers
Most of the old, conventional water heaters work 24/7 and take a lot of time to warm up the water. This consumes a lot of electrical energy, which shows in the electricity bill.
Automatic geezers or tank-less water heaters, work on demand. All you have to do is turn it on before use, and within minutes you will be provided with warm water to shower.
9. Replace Kitchen Equipment
Two of the major consumers of electricity in the house are the refrigerator and the oven. These home appliances consume a considerable percentage of the total electricity consumption due to 2 factors.
One is that the refrigerator works 24/7 and two, being that the oven operates at a very high voltage and consumes a lot of power.
You can reduce the overall effect by replacing these with energy star-rated refrigerators and by using convection ovens.
10. Switch to smart charging stations
Most of us plug-in our smartphones or tablets, at night, and sleep for hours while they charge. This wastes a lot of energy, as the phone is still consuming electricity even though its 100% charged.
You can save electricity by switching to smart charging stations that automatically turn off when the phone is charged or when the timer is up.
11. Solar panels
Solar panels generate electricity with the help of sunlight. This electricity can then be used to run electrical devices, which reduces the overall electricity bill. Just make sure your house or where the solar panels are places, receives a good amount of sunlight during day times.
Conclusion:
These are our top picks for the 11 home improvements that you can make in your homes to make them energy-efficient and reduce the overall consumption.