A home that is energy efficient takes time and effort. Not all projects are large, difficult, or expensive, but making your home more efficient and keeping that way does take intention on the part of the homeowner. Seals and weather stripping on doors and windows wear out over time. More efficient appliances are constantly being introduced on the market. One of the major steps you can take is calling a Manasquan HVAC repair team that you can trust to perform annual inspections and cleanings. Maintaining your HVAC unit is good condition is a huge part of keeping your homes energy efficiency at its optimal level. There are many other things you can do too.
Small Changes That Can Make a Big Impact
There are a variety of small changes you can make in your household that will help to increase your energy efficiency. Even doing only one of these small things can impact your efficiency, but doing many of them in combination can make a big difference in your energy bills.
Lightbulb Choice Matters
Switch out your lightbulbs as they need replacing to LED lightbulbs. Some reports state that LED lightbulbs can be up to 80% more efficient than their fluorescent and incandescent counterparts. They convert much more energy into light and waste a lot less.
In addition to using more efficient lightbulbs, turning off lights whenever they are not in use is important too. Consider installing motion sensors in your home so as you leave a room, after a set time, lights will automatically turn off.
An Insulated Home is a Well-Regulated Home
A lot of energy is lost in homes through poorly sealed doors and windows. Once a year take a walk around your home and inspect the weather stripping and sealant on all your doors and windows. Reseal all your window edges with caulk for a simple, quick, and cheap fix. Ensuring your home is well insulated from external factors makes your indoor temperature a lot easier to regulate. This means your appliances and temperature control units have to work a lot less hard to maintain your preferred temperature.
An extension of this task is to also check your basements and attics for proper insulation. Hot air rises so attics can be a source of a large amount of heat loss. Making sure these spaces are correctly insulated helps regulate your homes internal temperature much easier and less costly. Holes and weaknesses in insulation and external walls lets heat and cold air seep both in and out meaning you may need to call for Manasquan HVAC repair much more often because your units will have to work harder than intended.
Consider Your Water Usage
Not many people think of water usage as part of energy efficiency, but it surely is. A few things you can do to decrease the amount of water your home uses is installing low-flow shower heads and toilets, limiting shower times, and turning off water while brushing teeth and anytime it is not in direct use.
Use Appliances Smarter
First, unplug anything that is not in use. Cords and power blocks consume energy anytime they are plugged in whether there is something being used or not. Unplug it. Secondly, if you have the option, be smart about your appliance placement. For example, don’t place your fridge next to your stove because it will force your refrigerator to work harder to keep your food cold. Lastly, and again, if and when you have the option, choose Energy Star rated appliances. These machines have been evaluated by the U.S. EPA and Department of Energy and have been rated the most efficient machines on the market.
When it comes to their use, there are also steps you can take that help to keep energy use to a minimum. For example, for ultimate energy efficiency, wash all your laundry in the coldest water possible. Also, save your laundry until you have full loads. Washing multiple small loads consumes much more energy than 1 full load.
Manasquan HVAC Repair Team Can Inspect Your System for Faults
Just as it is important to make sure your home is insulated, it is important to have a qualified Manasquan HVAC repair technician inspect your system to make sure it is all intact to. Cracks, dents, and damages to your ductwork can greatly be impacting your heating and cooling costs. Old systems sometimes create a lot of vibration which can weaken joints and cause the collapse of some ducts. These collapses cause blockages which inhibits airflow throughout the structure. Things like corrosion and animal damage can also lead to leaks within your ductwork. This means you are funneling air into spaces that don’t need heating and cooling and forcing your system to work for a much longer amount of time to reach the desired temperature.
Energy Efficiency is Important
Obviously, the less energy you use, the less money you have to pay for your energy bills. In addition, being energy conscious is just a good thing to do for the environment. If every household just put minimal effort into doing just a few of these things, we could greatly reduce unnecessary energy usage. There are of course many more suggestions on ways to decrease your energy usage. Some of them simple, easy things, and some much larger and more expensive. However, when it comes to energy efficiency and your home, Manasquan HVAC repair should be high on your list of things to do.
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