You would have heard of the adage, ‘A penny saved is a penny earned.’ This is one very important factor that should motivate you to save energy. Besides, each one of us should try our best to work towards promoting the sustainability of our ecosystem, and conserving energy is one of the best ways to do so.
Small things, big savings
Pay attention to small things that allow the heat to escape from your home. The windows are capable of draining out the highest amount of heat from your home. Ensure the windows are airtight when closed. For best results you could have regular windows replaced with double pane ones, which provide best insulation to your home.
Ensure that your home is properly sealed during the winter. Pay special attention to the small spaces under the door, chimney dampers (when chimney is not in use), attic, and the like. Make a close inspection of your home and seal each opening however small, so no heat can escape out or cold come in. A well insulated home can cut the energy consumption by as much as 25-40 per cent.
Let nature do its bit
Allow the sun heat your home during the day time. Open the blinds and curtains to let the sun in during the day time, and have tightly drawn over the windows at night. In this way, you are trapping in the heat that the sun naturally gives you so you not need to set your thermostat too high. For every degree you increase the thermostat, the bill would increase by about 10 per cent.
At night keep the thermostat a little lower than what you use during time. The best would be about 65 degrees during day time and about 60 degrees at night because then you are covered with the blankets. If you have small children and worry that they would not stay covered at night, have them wear a thin sweater and flannel pajamas. Think of the savings you can make by lowering the thermostat a few degrees every night.
Use technology to you advantage
The winter is cool and dry and most home heating furnaces dehumidify the air allowing it to cool faster. Try installing a humidifier on the furnace system of your home and you will find that not only you would feel more comfortable, but also you will require less energy to keep your home warm as the heat stays longer in the humid air than in the completely dry one.
Similarly, you could use ceiling fans during winter to keep the hot air down. It is a well known fact that cold air stays down and hot air goes up. When you switch on your ceiling fans (at low to moderate speed), you would force the hot air to descend and mix with the cold air, increasing the overall temperature of the room.
Upgrade your home and water heating systems with the latest models every five years, so you could profit of the advancement of technology. For water heating, consider the option of using systems that work without storage tanks. This cuts both on water heating and consumption by about 30-40 per cent.
Solar power your home. There is nothing better than solar powering your home. After the initial investment for installing the solar panels, you will get all the energy you would ever need for free. The costs of these panels have become highly competitive in the past decade, and the technology used requires almost no maintenance.
Online resources:
- http://www.ecotechhydronics.com/tankless_water_heaters.htm - check out the concept of tank-less water heaters here.
- http://www.southernsolar.co.uk/energy-efficiency-home-solar-power.html - solar powering your home
- http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12530 – US Government’s Department of Energy offers excellent information for all who are interested and want to save energy with concrete steps
