With a bit of a downturn looking imminent these days due to all manner of reasons ranging from geopolitical shifts to consumer sentiment, it might be time to look at ways in which you can tighten your belt. Luckily, while this sounds like you might need to cut back on all the things you like, this doesn’t always have to be true. By taking steps to make your home more energy-effective, you are doing a couple of things, ranging from helping you save money and future-proofing your life so that any future shocks will have less of an impact on your quality of life. As they say, a bit of pain today often results in a long-term gain tomorrow.
Before you choose to head over to the Tesla website and spend a fortune on their Powerwall tech, your first step really ought to be looking around your home to see if there are any easy wins. This will involve a bit of sleuthing on your part or hiring contractors to perform the tasks on your behalf (and use their knowledge to find the sorts of things the average person might miss). The most obvious place to begin, though, is by looking at your roof and checking for any damage that might cause energy to leak outside. This extends to whatever climate you’re in, as damage can cause heat to escape if you live in places prone to harsh winters, and cool air leaks out if you use air conditioning heavily. According to the roofing contractors over at https://embrysroofing.com/roofing/, you might even be able to get your home insurer to pay the bulk of the cost of any roofing repairs, meaning that you’ll save money in multiple ways…which doubtless to say is always a good thing! Other things to look for can range from the simple, such as leaky faucets, to the more complex, which might involve installing insulation in your attic and walls.
Upgrade To Energy-Efficient Appliances
A great way to kill two bricks with one stone and update your home while also becoming more energy-efficient is to upgrade your various appliances to those that are certified to use less energy. For most folks, this will probably include their washing machine and driers, refrigerators, and heating/ cooling systems to those that produce the same or similar results while also happening to lower your utility bills at the same time. The best part about this tip is that pretty much all modern manufacturers of these goods are required to prominently display their energy ratings based on whatever jurisdiction they’re selling in, so the task of shopping around is exponentially easier than it used to be (i.e., you just need to look at a sticker on the product or perform a 5-minute web search).
Install Programmable, Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats have become all the rage these days, and you’re starting to see them more and more in homes around the world. These thermostats are connected to the internet as an IoT device and are typically controllable by your smart device. The benefits they have over traditional options include:
- The ability to lower energy bills by automatically adjusting the temperature.
- Doing so entirely remotely via your phone.
- Set custom schedules for different times and days.
- See reports on your energy usage so that you can adjust if you think you’re using too much.
- Alerts you to potential HVAC problems.
- Some are so intelligent that they can actually learn based on your prior inputs and the temperature outside so that they essentially become a set-and-forget type of device.
While these are just a taste of what these devices can do, the crux of the point is that they can help you monitor and lower your energy costs on the fly.
Maintain HVAC Systems To Ensure They Work Efficiently
HVAC systems are really an underrated technology that keeps homes at the right temperature regardless of what’s happening outside. However, the very fact that they’re underrated means that people will only give them a second thought when they go awry. Instead of waiting, you should spend some time and money to keep them well-maintained as this will not just reduce the odds of it breaking and costing a fortune to repair but will also ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible. The more efficiently it operates, the less energy it takes to do the job it’s designed for.
In reality, you have a myriad of techniques at your disposal when it comes to reducing your energy footprint, and those mentioned in his post are only a few. As long as you take the time to examine your home and install technology where it makes sense, you can save significant sums of money while doing your part for the planet.
