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Get Your Home as Efficient as Your Solar Energy

Ashleigh AngellOctober 2, 2018 1021 0

Get Your Home as Efficient as Your Solar Energy

While getting an efficient solar energy system is important, it’s equally important to have the energy efficiency of your home as high as possible. Here are several steps you can take to get the energy efficiency of your home running as well as your solar panel system does.

Insulating Your Home

The first step to having an efficient home is to ensure the energy needed to heat and cool your home is as efficient as possible. This is achieved by insulating the walls and the attic, which keeps in the heat and the cool and means you won’t have to run the A/C or the heater nearly as often. You should always consult an expert when attempting a project like this, as their expertise on the matter will help you achieve more than any materials you buy.

Efficient Windows

Inspect your windows for flaws and decide if you should fix them or replace them altogether. Even if you do fix them up, however, they still won’t be achieving their maximum efficiency potential. Nor will just replacing them with single glazed windows. Instead, you should be replacing them with energy efficient windows. While they’re expensive, the returns on investment will be worth it.

Plants are Friends, Not Food

If you place a lot of plants around the west side of your home, they will help you save energy. This is because they will block infrared rays from sunlight during the summer. During the winter, when their branches are bare, the rays will then be able to seep through and heat up your home. However, if you do invest in energy efficient windows and insulation, this advice may not be worth it, as you’ll already receive the efficiency from the windows and insulation regardless.

Make Your Hot Water System Energy Efficient

First, you’ll want to set your water to the “warm setting.” Keep it around 120 degrees Fahrenheit so you don’t waste hot water. Keep your plumbing insulated just like you did with the walls and attic to avoid heat loss. Finally, use low-flow fixtures, which will significantly decrease the amount of water you use when you shower and bathe.

Get New Bulbs

Using compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs will mean you’ll save three-quarters of the energy you’re using now. They also last a really long time - around 10,000 hours! Small changes like this will actually save you big.

New Ways to Use Your Appliances

First, you’ll want to keep your appliances unplugged if you aren’t using them. Even if they’re not on, a lot of appliances have a standby mode. This means that even if you aren’t using it, it’s using energy.

Next, the energy rating of your appliances is an important factor that many people don’t consider. You’ll want to try to find appliances that have a good amount of stars, as the more stars it has, the more efficient it is. However, if you get a larger appliance, keep in mind that it will need more energy to run in general.

It only takes a few small changes to increase your daily energy efficiency. Following these small steps will help you generate more, use more, and have more energy throughout your day.

Want to learn more ways you can bring solar energy into your life? Check out the HahaSmart blog for all the tips and tricks you need!

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