Spring has sprung and as a homeowner, it’s time to get busy. Not only will you be planting flowers and changing the oil in the mower, but you also need to get your house ready for the heat of summer, and now is the best time. Fighting the heat as a homeowner can be expensive but little things here or there can make small differences in your home’s energy efficiency that can add up. We will cover some easy but effective ways to make your home as efficient as possible with little effort.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
For every degree you increase the temperature in your home in the summer, you save 2% on your energy costs. Having a programmable thermostat means you can increase the temperature setting in the house when you are gone and set it to cool it back down before you get home. Even if it’s 2 degrees, you will save money. The same would work for lowering the temperature in the winter when you aren’t home or when you are sleeping – every little bit helps.
Install Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans work in two ways – they can either push air down to circulate or pull it up. As we know, heat rises and cold air falls so setting it to pull up the heat in the summer and push down the heat in the winter can really change how a room feels – it keeps the conditioned air from hanging out in places you can’t feel it! A ceiling fan set properly can reduce the temperature in your home up to 8 degrees!
Install LED Light Bulbs
Not only are LED light bulbs cheaper to run on their own, but they also don’t generate heat like a traditional light bulb. When it’s summer, and you are already fighting the heat, adding little pockets of intense heat doesn’t help. The filament of an incandescent light bulb glows at 4600 degrees! The surface of the light bulb can vary between 150 to 250 degrees. Depending on the number of bulbs in your home, and the size of your rooms, this can make more or less of a difference, but paired with the vastly increased energy efficiency of an LED bulb, it adds to the bucket of energy efficiency nicely!
Install and Use Blinds or Curtains
Older generations would be appalled by closed curtains in the daytime – but if your home has windows with southern exposure, keeping them blocked with blinds or curtains in the daytime can keep the temperatures down in your home in a big way. You can prevent a heat gain of up to 77% by using this technique!
Seal up Voids and Leaks
These are hidden heat losses or heat infiltrators! Seal up: recessed lights, flues, doors and window frames, the attic door or access panel, and electrical outlets to keep out the unconditioned air that you have paid to cool! Install insulating strips on doors and windows so they seal properly, and use exterior doors on the coolest side of the house in summer so a surge of hot air isn’t rushing in.
Conclusion
Remember, these are just the little things that will add up! Being conscious of your energy use will save you money. If your windows or doors are shot and leaking like sieves, give us a call here at Wood Mart, we want to be your project partner!