It is on everyone’s mind a lot more often in recent years: energy efficiency. Why? Well, because energy efficiency impacts how comfortable and efficient our homes are and how manageable our monthly bills are. Energy efficiency is important to our planet too–the less we use the better for all of us! Ensuring that our homes are as energy-efficient as they can be can sometimes be easier said than done.
Let’s say you’ve already s switched out all your old lightbulbs for LED ones—that is a great start on your journey towards being more energy-efficient, but the question is what should your next step be? We can help you figure out a few extra ways to improve your efficiency and reduce your energy use. Just keep reading to find out more.
5 Ways to Boost Your Home Energy Efficiency
Here we have listed several different ways that you can improve the energy efficiency in your home, which will keep you more comfortable and your bills more predictable, too.
- Use your shades and blinds to keep your home cooler. This may seem too simple but we promise it goes a long way. Take some time to figure out where the sun hits your home throughout the day. Before those rooms start to heat up during the summer, pull the blinds or curtains on the windows in those rooms to block the light. This will help keep that room cooler and make your AC’s job a lot easier.
- Check on how well-sealed your home is. Can you feel a draft coming through your front door when the wind picks up? What about the windows in your home? Doors and windows that aren’t well-sealed are going to be a big problem for your comfort as they will allow cool air out and hot air in during the summer (and vice versa in winter). This means your AC will use more energy to keep you cool in a poorly sealed home. Make sure to use weatherstripping and caulking to seal any air leaks around the house.
- Start regulating your temperature requests. We know it can be hard to resist the urge to mash the down button on your thermostat when the home gets hot but it is much better to keep your temperature demands reasonable. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends keeping your thermostat set to 78°F during summer to keep the home cool without expending extra energy.
- Keep your electronics off when not in use. The next time you leave a room or go to leave your house, make sure all of your electronics are off. This means lights are off, any electronics not in use are unplugged (such as phone chargers) etc. This is a basic but effective step to reduce your energy usage.
- Make sure your HVAC systems are energy efficient. If your HVAC system is operating effectively and efficiently, it will only use the exact amount of energy required to keep your home cool. The less energy it has to use to do its job the better! Make sure to keep your air conditioning system in Blanco operating efficiently with our services!
Contact Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for your next service appointment.