5 Ways to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

11/3/2020

Heating houses in the winter can easily cost more than cooling them in the summer. After all, it takes a lot less energy to keep a house at 70-degrees in 90-degree weather than it does in 20-degree weather.

Fortunately, there are ways to lower your heating bill without lowering the heat. Making your home more energy-efficient will reduce the amount of energy necessary to keep it warm, lowering your heating bill.

Below are some of the best ways to make your home more energy-efficient. There are other methods out there, but these are the five most common.

1. Use the Sun

If your house has windows facing south, open the curtains on those windows during the day. They’ll let in sunlight essentially all day, and that sunlight will naturally warm your house. Then close the curtains at night to trap the heat. Note, this only works with south-facing windows all day. East-facing windows will only let in the morning sun, and west-facing windows will only let in the afternoon sun. These are still somewhat useful, but not nearly as much as southward-facing windows.

2. Find and Seal Drafts

Your house may have more drafts than you realize. Just because a home does not feel “drafty” does not mean that there are no drafts. There may be small openings around windows and doors that let air (and heat!) escape. Unfinished areas behind cupboards can leak heat, and anywhere in the building where plumbing enters and leaves should be sealed tight. Even the chimney for the fireplace can be leaking heat if the cut-through in the roof has not been properly sealed, or if the seal is old and worn out. Sealing off these drafts can save you a lot of money.

Additional Resource: 7 Best Companies for Affordable Window Replacements

3. Insulate Your House

All homes are built with insulation, but many people do not realize that some maintenance must be done to keep the house insulated. Check the attic first. Hot air rises, and if the attic is poorly insulated you could be losing a lot of heat. If the insulation looks thin or uneven, you will need to add more. This is something that you can do easily on your own. Checking the insulation in the walls is more challenging, and you will likely need professional help both to check it and to add new insulation. Fortunately, insulation problems in the attic are far more likely.

4. Switch the Direction Your Ceiling Fan Rotates

Most fans are set to rotate counterclockwise. This pulls cool air up from the floor and blows it back down, redistributing it and making the room feel cooler. In the winter though, it is not as helpful. Instead, switch the fans so that they turn clockwise. Hot air rises, which means when your heater is on, the warmest air in the house will gather at the ceiling. Switching the fans to turn clockwise will blow all that hot air back down and make the room feel warmer. In turn, you will not need to turn the heat up as high.

5. Lower the Temperature, Wear More Clothes

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency is simply to lower the thermostat. You do not need to shut off the heat altogether, but you also do not need the house to be so warm that you can wear shorts indoors in the winter. Keeping your thermostat between 60 and 70 degrees can save up to 5 percent on your energy bill for each degree. Sixty-five degrees will still feel a lot warmer than the air outside. Lower the thermostat and simply wear more warm clothing like sweatpants at home. You will save money and still be quite comfortable.

Have a Question? We Can Help.

If you have more questions about how to maximize your home’s energy efficiency or would like some professional tips on how to do so, contact Service Legends Heating & Cooling today. We have a Ph.D. in making you comfy!

515-657-6634 Request Appointment Online

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