Residential energy-efficiency guide for homeowners
 | January 12, 2024 | 3 min read |
Reducing the amount of energy you use in your home can have tangible benefits that you’ll see as soon as you open your next utility bill. But while saving money is a great reason to save energy, it’s not the only one. Making your home more energy-efficient also puts less strain on our power plants, translating to lower levels of climate-warming emissions and a cleaner environment. Improving your household’s energy-efficiency can also help your appliances last longer and even increase the value of your home.
Finding the biggest culprits
The first step toward becoming more energy-efficient is figuring out where you’re wasting the most energy. Calling a home energy auditor can be a good way to get started. During an energy audit, they’ll walk through your home to look for things like air leaks and poorly insulated areas. They might also use tools like an infrared camera to spot places where heat is being lost or gained. The auditor should also review your energy bills to get a better understanding of your energy use patterns. And they may take a look at your major appliances to see if they might be wasting energy. Typically, the biggest offenders are heating and cooling systems, including the furnace and air conditioning, as well as water heaters and refrigerators.
Ways to save energy with your appliances
If you have an old appliance that isn’t energy-efficient, replacing it could save you a lot of money in the long run. You might even be able to take advantage of rebate programs from the government or your power company to help cover the cost of new appliances. Look for models that are Energy Star-certified, a federal program that sets standards for energy-efficiency for all sorts of appliances. You can also make the most of the appliances you already have by using them wisely. For instance, always wait until you have a full load before running the dishwasher or washing machine. If your power company offers lower rates during non-peak hours, save a little money doing your wash when the rates are low and do your part to help balance your community’s power use. When you can, wash clothes with cold water. And use a programmable thermostat to make sure that you’re not wasting energy heating or cooling an empty house.
• How Energy Star Appliances Can Save You Money on Utility Bills
• Only Run Full Loads of Dishes and Clothes
Small steps to bolster your energy efficiency
You can also save energy by taking smaller steps and establishing better habits to prevent wasting energy. One fairly inexpensive step that can make a big difference is to get some caulk and seal up any gaps around your windows and doors to prevent air leaks. Another good idea is buying power strips and making sure all of your home electronics are plugged into them, which will allow you to cut off the power with the flip of a switch whenever you’re not using them. Small appliances and electronics can be “energy vampires,” constantly drawing a trickle of energy even when they’re turned off. A good rule to follow in general is if you’re not using it, turn it off. That means turning the lights off when you leave a room and shutting down your computer when you’re done with it instead of leaving it in sleep mode.
How kids can help
Kids can also do their part to help your household save energy. For instance, any child who’s old enough to turn on the lights when they enter a room is old enough to turn them off again when they leave. They might even enjoy becoming the “light switch police,” keeping an eye on the grown-ups in the house and reminding them when they forget to turn off the lights as they leave a room. Kids can also help by making sure to close the door behind them when they walk into or out of the house. And they should decide what they want before they open the fridge or freezer, rather than stand there with the door open thinking about what they want to eat.
Husain Sumra is a former journalist who reported on the biggest companies in tech, from Apple to Amazon, covering cloud services, consumer technology and communication solutions. His journalism background has helped him bring a customer-first approach to content marketing, creating pieces of content aimed at helping people.
