Not having your home and office insulated causes you to spend a lot on paying cooling and heating bills. Getting thermal insulation in houses has become very easy. Moreover, it also saves a lot of money in the long run. Here we are going to give some tips about improving home insulation and determining some cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways of energy conservation.
Energy Conservation Tips for Winters
Tip No: 1
Reduce air leakage:
One can easily cut reduce the heating and cooling costs simply by sealing the old building in order to block the air passage. Sealing the building can significantly save the energy. Also, the air leakage can be controlled in the attics and basements by additional insulation.
For reducing air leakage, look around in your house for gaps. You can use foam or caulk to bridge those gaps. The best way to block those gaps is caulking from inside of the building since the exterior of the building is exposed to sunlight rays, rain and other weather conditions that cause the foams to shrink.
Some air leaks are also present around the window due to which, closing the window does not block the air completely. For this, caulk the air leak but if the leakage or gap is wide enough, then use foam. Under the door is the most major part of air leakage. The air leakage from under the door can be avoided if you install saddles.
Tip No: 2
Stop the heat escape from chimneys:
Almost everyone in winters uses the fireplace for getting heat. As a matter of fact, the fireplace robs a lot of house heat and lets it escape from the chimney. You can use the airtight door on the fireplace to stop it taking cold air from outside. If you are using the older fireplace, make sure that you keep its door open when it is consuming the oxygen from the room. Keep its doors closed when it is not burning. Although the fireplaces with airtight doors are expensive, they will contribute to energy conservation to a great extent.
Tip No: 3
Use attic insulation:
The houses which are old and have not been given proper insulation can cut the heat loss by adding the attic insulation. The insulation should range from R-22 to R-49. If you want to know about more accurate value, you can contact the local building department located in your area. For example, people living in Los Angeles can contact Los Angeles Attic Insulation that provides high-quality insulation to save the house from extreme weather conditions.
You can measure the attic insulation easily by sticking your heat through the access door of an attic. If it is lower than the recommended value, you can add more for reducing the cost of heating.
The attic insulation can be added by using loose-fill insulation. If you want to get the job done like a pro, get the services of an insulation service provider who will insulate the attic and will save you from the floor in the attic.
As a matter of fact, the attic insulation does not only work in winters. It also prevents the outside heat from entering inside in summers. The attic insulation enables you to set the temperate of the house at the desired value.
Importance of home insulation:
According to the law of thermodynamics, heat moves from hotter area to a colder one. The heat in your house leaves it and escapes outside making your house freezing cold in winters. Similarly, in summers, the heat from outside comes in and makes the house warm. Saving energy becomes essential especially in extreme weather.
The home insulation plays its role when it comes to saving energy and cost. Insulation in the walls of the home reduces the heat flow to a great extent that consequently results in high heat resistance.
Nearly every home is given some insulation through walls. However, it is not enough to stop the heat flow in or out. The minimum insulation that is provided to residential and commercial buildings in the US is not even close to the level of insulation which is recommended by the US government for staying safe from the weather extremities.
These days, the insulation is being done for both summer and winter season. The insulation of floor, walls, and cavity walls are done to for insulating the house from heat in summers and coldness in winters.
Energy conservation (Archive)
Tip No: 4
Keep up with the heating systems used in the home:
Your heating system should work properly, and for this, you are required to provide servicing to the heating system after regular intervals, more precisely once a year. If you are not doing it already, immediately schedule the servicing of the heating system. The heat pumps fitted in heaters and furnaces usually trap dust particles. The filters are required to be changed or cleaned after a few things.
In order to ensure that the heating system you have installed in your house is energy efficient, clean the vent regularly. The inside of the appliance also requires cleaning just like every other thing in the house. You can use a special wire brush for getting access to the inside of the appliance which is not possible otherwise.
Energy Conservation Tips for summers
Summer season is welcomed by most of us because we want to enjoy the warmth in the environment, the cool breeze, and pleasant summer nights. High utility bills in this season are the downside as we run air conditioner more often; use a lot of water etc. We can simply follow some simple steps and benefit our pockets and the planet which is being destroyed due to high consumption of energy. There are hundreds of ways in which you can enjoy summers while conserving energy at the same time which will consequently give a break to your pocket.
Tip No: 1
Change your behaviour:
There are some ways to conserve energy that don’t cost anything. One of the best ways is to bring change in your own behaviour in your day to day activities. The first thing you need to do is get rid of or make less use of those appliances which are not energy efficient. For example, the air conditioner in summers is the biggest energy utilizer. It is not possible to turn off the AC completely when it is very hot outside. There are some ways that can help you reduce your energy usage and bill costs even when your AC is running.
As a matter of fact, you can save money by making less use of AC in summers. The best practice is to set the temperature of the thermostat to the highest temperature if it is possible. Also, make sure that your house is completely insulated. You AC will never be able to cool the house if it is not properly insulated.
Also try to spend more time outside on beach, seaside or in community pools. Spending more time outside will help you reduce the amount of bill you pay each month.
Tip No: 2
Use cold water for washing purpose
According to a survey, most of the energy in houses is wasted by heating the water for washing purpose. We can save a tremendous amount of energy if we start doing laundry with cold water. Another way to save energy is to take advantage of the hot season and drying your clothes without using the dryer. This will not only save the cost but also save your home from extra heat generated by different appliances.
Tip No: 3
Use LED lights:
In order to save energy, you should be smart enough to choose the lights in the house. The traditional incandescent bulbs convert 90% of the total energy into heat. Since the heat is not the desired a form of energy in this case, the heat produced by the bulb is considered as a waste.
The LED bulbs produce half heat as compared to incandescent bulbs. Moreover, they are also capable of working at low voltage which is the reason they are known as energy efficient bulbs. The LED bulbs’ lifespan is 50% longer than the other type of bulbs.
The bottom line:
Energy conservation is not important only for our pockets but also for the environment. The fossil fuels are the biggest source of energy which is also the biggest a biggest cause of pollution in the environment. In order to save the environment, we should try to take the energy conservation at a minimal level so that we can save the planet from various types of pollutions. Regardless of the season, the conservation of energy is very important for us.
We are consuming the energy at a high rate. In near future, we are going to run out of all the non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels which will result in a huge energy crisis. We can keep ourselves safe from the weather extremities simply by keeping the house temperature moderate using the thermostat. Our some habits can make us use less energy.
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