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Home Upgrades to Improve Energy Efficiency
Due to the changing weather patterns and the ever-increasing utility costs, making energy-efficient upgrades is one way to improve your home’s value.
There are several upgrades you can consider to give your home a boost toward energy conservation.
From upgrading your water heater to transforming your lighting, there’s everything you need to learn in this article that will help make your home more energy efficient.
Here are the top seven rewarding home upgrades you can consider to improve energy efficiency and make your home a more livable, valuable space.
Upgrade Your Water Heater
If your existing water heater is past its best days, it’s time to upgrade to a more efficient one.
You can choose from various types of water heaters, including tankless, heat pumps, condensing, electric, and point-of-use water heaters. A good water heater can last eight to 12 years with proper use and care.
During this period, they will heat your water efficiently, conserving energy and not releasing harmful gases like carbon monoxide into the environment as the older models do.
Some water heaters are more efficient than others. For instance, a heat pump water heater is two to three times more energy efficient than traditional electric resistance water heaters.
Despite having a high initial cost, they have lower operating costs, making them an ideal long-term investment for your home.
Regardless of your chosen unit, ensure you work with your local water heater experts to advise you on the best optimization tips for optimal return on investment.
Install Energy-Efficient Windows
If you’re using an HVAC unit to maintain a desirable temperature at home, you know all too well that losing that heat frequently is costly. An inefficient window is one of the main culprits for heat loss at home.
To curb this problem, you must install energy-efficient windows designed to minimize heat loss and retain the right amount of comfortable temperature in your home.
With an efficient window, your HVAC unit won’t have to strain and use a high amount of energy to maintain a desired temperature.
When shopping around, look for windows with multiple panes of gas and glass fills, like krypton and argon, that improve insulation and minimize energy consumption.
Additionally, you can choose windows with low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings, which are key for effective heat reflection, keeping your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Upgrade Your Home Insulation and Air-Sealing
Insulating your attic and professionally air-sealing your home can solve a significant number of your home’s high-energy issues.
This step helps solve ice dam problems, cold air drafts, and high heating and cooling bills.
Even if your home’s insulation was perfect when it was built, it could need repair now because insulation wears down with time.
Professional air-sealing and expert insulation can improve your home’s overall energy efficiency by building a sustainable, powerful heat-loss boundary between your home and the exterior.
Repair or Replace Your Roof
Replacing your roof isn’t one of the most affordable home upgrades you’d want, but it’s totally rewarding.
If your roof isn’t too old or eaten up by the extreme weather elements, a simple repair process can suffice. However, you might have to schedule a roof replacement if the damages are too dire to fix.
A cracked, broken, or exposed roof is a leading passageway for escaping heat from your home, which means your heating system is working extra hard, pushing up your energy bill. To know if your roof needs to be replaced or repaired, check if:
- There are cracks and gaping holes
- The roof is older than 20 years
- Shingles are missing, cracked, or curled
If replacing old shingles, consider materials like sheet metal or clay in place of asphalt. These can help with effective heat reflection, allowing your cooling system to work without strain.
Install Solar Panels
When efficiently harnessed, solar energy is much more reliable, sustainable, and cheaper to maintain.
Installing solar panels is a perfect way to produce efficient small-scale energy for your home, eradicating the overreliance on grid power.
While the initial installation cost might be high, the returns are far more worth the cost as you’ll reduce the energy you have to buy from your local utility.
Besides reducing your energy costs while you live in the house, installing solar panels also increases your home’s value, attracting more buyers when it’s time to sell.
These and other benefits of residential solar electricity should motivate you to make the bold step toward solar electricity.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
Your heating and cooling system needs a thermostat upgrade if you’re not already using a smart one. A smart thermostat is an excellent way to boost your home’s energy efficiency.
They can learn your preferences and schedule and automatically adjust the temperature to suit your needs while minimizing energy consumption.
Since you can remotely control a smart thermostat on your smartphone, adjusting the temperature is easier even when you’re not at home.
This helps in controlling energy consumption during peak hours or when your house is unoccupied, keeping energy demands at the minimum bar.
Transform Your Lighting
Your lighting bill might be insignificant, but not when you’re using bulbs other than LED bulbs.
Switching to LED bulbs is a simple yet effective way to make your home more energy efficient. LED bulbs can save you up to 75% of energy compared to incandescent lighting.
For a huge house, this simple move can be a huge energy saver in the short and long run.
There are different types of LED bulbs you can consider based on the brightness level and colour temperature.
These are important features to look out for because they allow you to customize the bulb’s usage in your home to meet your needs.
Additionally, newer LED bulbs are made compatible with modern homes’ smart systems, which means you can easily control your lighting and minimize energy consumption.
Final Words
Improving energy efficiency is no mean feat, especially if it’s your first time trying. All loopholes need to be sealed to ensure every upgrade you make functions optimally as intended.
While you can’t do everything at once, ensure you accomplish your upgrades within a reasonable time frame so that every function of your home can receive the energy conservation support it needs from the other functions.
Also, Read
Tips to Choose the Right Electrical Service Provider for Home
What Are the Common Signs That My AC Needs Repair?