25 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
There are many ways to make your home more energy efficient. Here are 25 of them!
- Use cold water in your washing machine.
- Use natural light when possible, especially during the winter. It will reduce your need for artificial light and sunlight will take some of the burdens off your HVAC system.
- Keep your shades and curtains closed during the summer. This will keep your home cooler and reduce your need to use air conditioning.
- Switch to LED lightbulbs.
- Seal and insulate your home. Sealing cracks and gaps where warm or cool air can pass through will save you money by making your home more energy efficient.
- Check your air filters. Dirty air filters make your HVAC system work harder than it needs to.
- Don’t open the oven when you bake. This quickly reduces the temperature inside the oven. Instead, use the oven light and window to check on your baking.
- Use your microwave instead of your stove when possible.
- Use a timer or photocell for your outdoor lights. This will ensure the lights aren’t on when they don’t need to be.
- Keep your thermostat at a reasonable temperature. Setting it to a low or high setting to quickly increase or decrease the temperature wastes energy. Instead, set it to 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer and 68 during the winter.
- Keep appliances that produce heat like TVs or lamps away from thermostats. This can give your thermostat an inaccurate temperature reading.
- Air dry your dishes instead of using your dishwasher's heated dry setting.
- Use the dishwasher and clothing washer/dryer in the early morning or at night. This will keep your home cooler and reduce the strain on the electrical grid.
- Use your bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans as little as possible.
- Use a ceiling fan to stay cool.
- Use indoor plants around the house. Not only will they improve air quality, but they’ll also keep you cooler during the summer.
- Keep the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer set at the manufacturer’s temperature recommendation.
- Defrost your refrigerator and freezer to reduce ice buildup and energy waste.
- Replace single-pane windows with more energy-efficient windows.
- Turn off the lights when you’re not using them.
- Switch off the oven a couple of minutes before the timer goes off. The oven will remain hot for many minutes after you turn it off.
- Dress accordingly. In the summer wear cool clothing inside and in the winter bundle up inside!
- Use a whole house fan. This keeps your home cooler and reduces your need for energy-inefficient AC.
- Use an attic fan. This keeps the temperature down in your attic, which cools the rest of your home and prevents a buildup of moisture in the attic.
- Use a garage exhaust fan. Garage exhaust fans improve the air quality in your garage and keep it cool without the need for AC.