How to Make a Home More Energy Efficient
- 1). Gather documentation like utility bills for the last year, maintenance agreements, and owner manuals for appliances and heating and cooling systems.
- 2). Perform an energy assessment on your home. Energy.gov provides a "Do-It-Yourself Energy Assessment" on its website that you can use for your home assessment. The list includes conducting a building pressurization test and instructions for checking insulation levels, fireplace dampers, appliances, heating and cooling systems and lighting use. The assessment guide provides instructions on looking for holes or cracks throughout your house, including near plumbing fixtures and light switches.
- 3). Use the Do-It-Yourself Energy Assessment to resolve issues found in your home assessment. The assessment provides instructions, alerts about dangers and the proper materials to use to make your home more energy efficient.
- 4). Seal and insulate your home to reduce drafts and leaks. Energy.gov recommends using weather stripping, caulk and spray foam. Caulk pipes and other sources of air leakage, plug holes in the foundation and other exterior surfaces and seal leaks in exposed heating ducts. Proper insulation can reduce energy use and result in lower energy bills.
- 5). Install lighting sensors, timers and dimmers to control the use of lighting in your home. Replace lighting fixtures and bulbs with fluorescent units or other fixtures that use less energy, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- 6). Install a programmable thermostat for automatic regulation of heat and air conditioning use, to control energy costs and to maintain standard, comfortable temperatures throughout the seasons.
- 7). Decrease the amount of water you use and the energy used to heat water. Lower your hot water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Progress Energy recommends lowering the thermostat to 130 or 140 if you use a dishwasher. Wrap an older heater with an insulating blanket and wrap insulation around pipes entering and leaving the water heater. Turn off the water heater at the circuit breaker if you will be away from home for more than two days.
- 8). Limit your use of water, and energy to heat water, by operating your dishwasher only with full loads and air-drying the dishes instead of using the drying cycle. Take brief showers instead of baths and only operate the washer only with full loads of clothes.
- 9). Turn off appliances, computers, televisions, lights and other electronics when they are not in use. Energy.gov recommends using power strips and turning off the power strips when electronics are not in use since some electronics use power even when turned off.
- 10
Replace filters monthly in forced-air cooling and heating appliances and have the units cleaned annually.
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