A Contributed Post: How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

The environment is the singular most important part of this earth, as it sustains all life within it. As global citizens, we need to protect the environment and to live in harmony within it. Even if you are not interested in reducing humanity’s carbon footprint, you should still aim to reduce the energy you use, because it is the best way to save on your monthly bills. You can save money and save the environment all at once. To make your home more energy efficient today, use these tips:

1. Properly Insulate Your Home

Heating your house constantly during winter is one way to waste a lot of money and energy. Keep the heat in by properly insulating your home. One of the biggest culprits for this lost heat are your windows. If you cannot afford to replace your windows, invest instead in thick, heavy curtains that will block the heat from entering or leaving. As a bonus, you can even get curtains that reflect sunlight so that in the summer months you can keep cool and away from the sun’s heat.

2. Rarely Use Your Heating or Air Conditioning

There are so many ways to heat or cool a home without heavily relying on using your expensive central heating system or air conditioning. Ceiling fans help regulate airflow to either cool you down or warm you up. When ceiling fans rotate clockwise at a low speed they gently pull cool air up, which pushes the warm air that has naturally risen to the ceiling, back down along the walls and to the floor. The more efficiently you can use energy, the more you’ll save and the less of an impact you will have on the environment.

3. Use Energy Strategically

Leaving your air conditioning or heating on constantly is not more efficient. Instead, choose times that you require heating or cooling the most. Regardless of the time of year, for instance, you should turn your temperature control off when you leave for work. If no one is home, there is no reason for you to be wasting the energy and the money on regulating the temperature in your home. Key times to have your system turned on is in the morning, when you wake up, and at night before you go to bed. When you sleep, for instance, you don’t need the heating on if you have a thick and cozy comforter.

Other ways you can make your home use energy more strategically is to have items like rugs or even wall hangings that will insulate and hold on to the heat better. In summer, opening windows and using fans will help cool you down. In summer, it is easy to escape the heat by going out and either swimming, or even going to get a frozen treat. The wind can cool you down, and your home will naturally cool off in the evening. In winter, however, temperatures can drop and your health can be at risk. You don’t need to use energy throughout these seasons to keep you warm or cool; just follow these simple suggestions to make your home more efficient.