Even More Ways to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

As you may know, we’re all about making homes energy efficient here at Energy Saving Lighting. And while the LED light bulbs we sell are a great start to cutting down a home’s power bills each month, that’s just one way you can trim your energy bills and reduce your impact on the environment.

These are some of our favorite ways to save money and protect the environment:

• Change your air filters often. This tip probably isn’t groundbreaking to many of our readers, but until you’ve actually committed to doing it, you don’t realize how big of a difference this one thing makes. Heating and cooling account for more than half of a home’s energy bill, so make it a little more efficient.
• Another tip to make your heating and cooling a little more efficient is to get a programmable thermostat. While it costs a little more, we’re loving the Nest programmable thermostat. You can control it remotely with your phone, and after a few days of controlling it manually, it learns your behaviors and knows when to heat and cool your home. It even keeps track of when you should change your air filters, making our first tip even easier to do in your home!
• Plant trees! In addition to giving your home a little more curb appeal, planting trees on the West, East and South sides of your home will help shade your house and cut down on your cooling needs.
• Be sure to only run full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. While it can be tempting to just throw a few articles of clothing into the washing machine, take a few minutes and find other items that you could add to make a full load.
• Hire a professional energy auditor, or see if your local power company offers free or low-cost energy audits. A professional can find areas of your home that are using more energy than they should and offer straight-forward recommendations to slash your energy bills.
• Unplug electronic devices when you’re not using them. Phone and computer chargers, among other devices, still draw electricity when you’re not using them. Take a few minutes and unplug things you’re not using, and your power bills will thank you for it.

What steps have you taken to make your home more energy efficient! Let us know in the comments below!