Energy Efficiency 101
Getting Started At Home
With gas and oil prices on the rise, many people are talking about energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources in the home. Some people automatically assume that making their home more energy efficient is going to cost a lot of money up front, but in reality that's not the case. The first step in making your home more energy efficient is merely to improve your internal appliances and systems with a bit more thought. Here are some simple rules that will make your home more comfortable, your fuel bills lower, and your conscience lighter as you use less fossil fuels.
Rule # 1: Look at Your Appliances
As you review your electric load (or how much electricity you use to run your home), you should cast a glance at all of your appliances. Any that are very old and out-of-date, especially washers, dryers, and refrigerators, could all be costing you far more money than you think and taxing the environment to boot. When you look for appliances, try to find ones that are specifically designed to be energy efficient. Not only will you probably be able to get some significant rebates, you'll also be offsetting the cost of your new energy-efficient appliance with the savings you'll immediately see on your utility bills.
Rule # 2: Consider Your Climate
This relates not only to where you live and what your environment is like but also to how you regulate the temperature in your home. First, is your home well insulated? If not, you are allowing in and letting out a lot of energy, heat and cold. Improving your insulation is one of the best and easiest ways to make your home more efficient. How are your windows? What can you do to retain heat in the winter and repel it in the summer? Also, if you have an attic, are you keeping it properly ventilated during the summer months? If it gets too hot up at the top of your house, your whole cooling system will have to work that much harder. You should consider installing a solar-powered attic fan that will keep your attic well ventilated and moderate the overall temperature. A dry and ventilated attic is a happy one. Finally, how are you cooling your home in the summer? If you live in an arid climate and you are still using traditional air conditioning, you do have other options. Environmentally friendly evaporative coolers (or “swamp coolers”) are often just as effective and require a third of the power or less.
Rule # 3: If You Think You Are Ready, Review Rules 1-2
Even if you think you are ready today - right now - to install solar panels or a wind turbine to power your home, you need to make your home as energy efficient as possible FIRST. Why? Because, in general, for every $1 you spend on making your home more energy efficient, you reduce the cost of your alternative energy system by $3 to $5. Once you have reduced your energy usage, you can accurately determine how much energy you will need to produce with renewable energy. Start simple, invest wisely, and eventually you will be the self-powered, money-saving, energy-efficient one on the block.
