10 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency That You Probably Didn’t Know About

Nowadays, it’s become very easy to waste energy due to the number of appliances we have in the home. Whether it’s leaving electronics plugged in, forgetting to turn off the mains or even leaving the heating on to keep us comfortable throughout the winter, we’re a society of excess and there’s nothing worse than wasting energy even though it’s completely avoidable.

So to help inspire you, we’re going to list 10 ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, and in ways that you probably haven’t thought about.

1. Use microwaves for cooking when possible
Microwaves are more energy efficient than other cooking methods. Of course, you probably won’t be able to cook everything inside a microwave, but if you’re just reheating food then the microwave is the most efficient choice.

2. Turn on your ceiling fan
Most ceilings fans actually have a reverse feature that blows air up instead of down. This helps to spread hot air around your rooms to evenly distribute it. You can shop here for ceiling fans if your current one doesn’t have the feature, or if they’re due for a replacement anyway.

3. Dim your devices
Whether it’s a smartphone, a laptop or even a TV, brightness is usually what costs the most energy. If you dim it to an acceptable level, you’ll find it can save a lot of money.

4. Hang your clothes
As long as your area isn’t due for rain anytime soon, make a habit of hanging your clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. Not only is it more energy efficient, but your clothes will last longer if they’re not put through dry heat.

5. Use motion detector lights
These are very useful for outdoor use because they’ll automatically turn on when they detect someone and turn off after a period of no activity, making them very energy efficient.

6. Consider double or triple glazing
Although expensive at first, glazed windows provide better thermal qualities and are more sturdy, making them a very good investment for a long-term home.

7. Wash clothes at lower temperatures
Not only do detergents work better at lower temperatures but your clothes will be less prone to shrinking or damage and it takes less energy to heat the water.

8. Don’t leave your devices charging
Not only does it cost a lot of electricity, but leaving your devices charging even though they have max battery will actually damage the internals, causing the battery to have a shorter lifespan.

9. Don’t use hibernate or standby
It might be convenient to use a hibernate or standby setting for your computer, but it actually stays on and consumes a lot of energy. If you want faster loading times, consider switching to solid-state storage on your PC.

10. Move your thermostat away from heat and cold
Your thermostat works off readings it picks up from around it, so keep it in a location that is away from windows and heat sources so it can accurately adjust your home’s temperature.

These tips are always helpful to remind us that being efficient does in fact save us a few dollars.  With the new year upon us, its definitely a nice refresher!

Happy Holidays & very soon a new year friends!

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