Please welcome guest writer, Lillian Conners.
Home Energy Retrofits: Efficiency to the Max
A home is so much more than a roof over your head ‒ it’s a place of health, love, and peace. Your home should be cozy and warm as much as it should be kind to the environment, not only for its preservation but also to keep the upkeep costs down to a minimum and to safeguard your health and the health of those you love.
Here are the most effective changes you can implement into your household today in order to not only save energy and money, but also promote a healthier lifestyle.
Assess energy waste
You should audit your home for energy leaks and determine the areas that are wasting energy and need to be fixed. These can be anything from conventional lighting to energy-wasting kitchen appliances.
You can either inspect the energy consumption rate yourself or you can hire a professional to do it for you, just make sure to determine the most critical areas before proceeding with big retrofits.
Insulate your home
The majority of people never seem to fully grasp the importance of home insulation and its role in energy efficiency. Enormous amounts of energy are wasted every single day while trying to heat up or cool down your home, and if you want to bring down the electricity bill substantially, you will want to insulate properly.
Your insulation expenses may vary depending on the type of walls you have and you should pay special attention to wooden parts and exteriors. Also, don’t forget that the attic can act as a giant freezer if not insulated properly, so make sure you start from there.
Fix your doors
Vast amounts of energy can be wasted due to gaps in the doors that lead outside. Make sure you check the doors for cracks, gaps, and other irregularities, and if they seem to have lost their shape due to their age, you will be better off replacing them altogether than trying to fix them. The amount of energy your house consumes can be cut in half if you prevent any heat from escaping through the gaps.
Don’t forget the windows
One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of energy-efficient retrofits is window insulation. The truth is that windows can account for a huge amount of energy loss throughout the house if not addressed properly.
You will want to equip your home with windows that are able to prevent excessive heat from coming in while still letting plenty of sunlight to penetrate into the rooms. This will greatly depend on your geographical location, and this is where double glazing window installation takes the stage. This solution will not only have positive effects on your energy consumption, keeping your home warm during the winter and cool during the summer period but also help you soundproof your home.
Energy-efficient lighting
While the majority of people still use traditional, incandescent lighting to illuminate their homes, the LED lighting revolution is swiftly taking over the world. Traditional lighting solutions are inefficient and they waste a huge amount of energy by producing 95% of heat and only 5% of actual light.
On the other hand, LED lights are environmentally friendly because they can last for years on end, and they use 95% of energy for producing light and only 5% is wasted on heat. In addition, LED lights consume far less energy than traditional lights. This solution not only saves the environment, one volt at a time, but it also keeps your monthly energy expenses to a minimum.
As you can see, retrofitting your home to become an energy-efficient system can be a fun and rewarding endeavor, and one of the healthiest choices you’ve ever made for yourself, and the environment.
