While you might think your home is fairly energy efficient you might not realize all the areas it could be improved further. By improving your home’s energy efficiency you not only save money on utilities, but also contribute to reducing your environmental impact on the planet. Even something as simple as installing more energy efficient garage doors can be an easy way to cut down on your energy bill for the month.
Here are a few key ways you can improve your home and make it that much more ‘green’.
Installing Energy Efficient Garage Doors and Other Ways to Improve Your Home’s Insulation
Probably the biggest culprit of your energy bill has to do with how well-insulated your home is. The more well-insulated a home is, the less cold and/or warm air is lost when trying to heat and cool your home constantly. Although ripping out drywall to add in better insulation will be effective, it’s also costly.
A well-insulated, energy efficient garage door is a more affordable solution to start improving your home’s insulation. Replacing windows and better sealing doors is also a good idea since about one-third of a home’s total heat loss is through windows and doors.
Install More Efficient Plumbing
There’s no getting around using your toilet every day, and probably your shower as well, so it makes sense to replace them with more energy efficient solutions. Low-flow toilets have become especially popular as have dual–flush toilets as well. Both help reduce the amount of water used when flushing while still draining waste effectively.
Showers also come in low-flow options where the showerhead can be set to use different flows to save water. In some cases, the water can even be paused while you lather with soap.
Making your home more energy efficient doesn’t require a full renovation of your home. Simple replacements of often used parts of your home can make an effective difference in the amount of electricity being used.