If you want to increase your home’s energy efficiency, you might want to first and foremost take a look at your home’s heating and cooling system. That’s because some people estimate that around 55% of your electricity bill has to do exclusively with your air conditioning and heating system. If you can find a way to reduce your air conditioning and heating costs, you’ll reduce your electricity bill substantially. More effective heating and cooling starts with understanding your home.
Areas Where Your Home Might Be Losing Energy
Air coming in and out of your home is a common problem that people experience. These so-called “energy vulnerabilities” are places where you might end up spending more money because the conditioned air is escaping out into the world. These are some of the most common places for it to happen.
Duct Register
Top Plate
Sill Plate
Crawl Space
Doors
Windows
Plumbing Vent Stack
Vent Fan
Dryer Vent
With many of these areas, you probably know what you can do to make sure you get a tight seal. However, some of them are much more complicated. You might not even know what a plumbing vent stack is, for example. A home repair expert can help you understand more about this process.
Methods of Improving Your Home Energy Efficiency
The first step for many people is learning what they can do to improve their home energy efficiency as a whole. Some of these things may be easier than others, but they’re all important things to do if you’ve never done them in your home before.
5-30%: Sealing Air Leaks Using Caulking, Spray Foam, and Weather Stripping
10%: Using a Programmable Thermostat to Reduce Energy Usage While Sleeping
12-33%: Installing Storm Windows
15%: Switching to an EnergyStar Gas Furnace
20%: Crawl Space Insulation and Encapsulation
As you can see, there’s a substantial range for some of these things. That’s because it depends on what your home is like right now and where you live. Storm windows, for example, are likely to be much more effective at creating a better energy efficiency situation in certain areas than they will be in other areas. It’s just another reason it’s important to talk to a home repair expert early on in the process.
Why Should You Invest in Energy Efficiency?
What are the reasons that you might want to become more energy efficient? The good news is that there are a number of pretty simple reasons to invest in energy-efficient options for your home. If you’re thinking about reasons for investing in the energy-efficient options, here are a few reasons to stop thinking about it and just go for it.
Energy Efficiency Is Generally Good for the Environment
Living Spaces Can Be More Comfortable Even When You’re Not Actively Using AC or Heating
Your Out-Of-Pocket Update Expenses May Be More Acceptable When You Realize Your Lower Utility Bills Can Essentially Pay for It
You Might Be Able to Claim a Tax Credit for a Percentage of Certain Insulation Jobs
Essentially, this means that an energy-efficient option for your home is more environmentally friendly, more comfortable in your home, and potentially even less expensive for you, even if it takes some time to pay off. With all those reasons, why would you want to do anything else?
Conclusion
An energy-efficient heating and cooling system will likely reduce your home’s utility bill dramatically. It’s one of the most important things you can do to reduce your utility bill, as a matter of fact. If you’re looking for a way to reduce your utility bill and make your home even more comfortable, looking into the heating and cooling system can be your first stop.
