“Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient”
By: Diana Smith
We spend most of our home’s energy during cold winter days. People use up lots of energy for heating and that’s why the bills go up during winter and fall. However, there are several ways you can cut down on your monthly bills and make your home more energy efficient. Here’s how:
Light Bulbs
Think about all the light bulbs that are currently active in your house. You probably don’t need half of them, so turn off the light each time you exit a room and you are already making progress. If you haven’t already changed regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones, now is the time to do so.
The most popular choice on the market are LED light bulbs, so give them a try. They may cost more than regular ones, but they are much more energy efficient and it will pay off once you notice how lower your energy bill turns out to be.
Think twice before you get those luxurious chandeliers with dozens of light bulbs on them. The extra light bulbs are completely useless and all they do is waste energy. They may look nice but if your goal is to make your home more energy efficient then you should definitely avoid them.
Refrigerators
Make sure your fridge and freezer are placed somewhere cold, or at least at room temperature. Keep them away from direct Sun light, heaters, radiators and other elements that give off heat. They increase the temperature inside the fridge making it activate its electrical components and use up more energy.
Don’t forget to defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis, unless they have the function to do it automatically. The accumulated ice acts as insulation and increases energy consumption. It makes it harder for the fridge to regulate the temperature so it has to activate the engine more often. This requires a lot of energy that could have been spent on keeping the food and drinks inside the fridge cold. Make sure you closed the refrigerator door correctly. Sometimes it stays slightly open and wastes considerable amounts of energy.
The temperature in the freezer should be around -18 degrees Celsius. It’s considered the optimal temperature for preserving groceries. Anything lower would be a waste of energy. The freezer uses less energy when it’s full then when it’s half full, so if you have a big freezer that you can’t fill up, it will use more energy.
Energy Efficient Cooking
Start your cooking at a higher temperature until you reach boiling temperature. Then, continue to cook on a lower temperature until your meal is ready. To save even more energy, use the accumulated temperature of the oven. If a meal takes 40 minutes to cook, you can turn off the oven 10 minutes beforehand, the meal will still be cooked like the oven worked for the entire 40 minutes. So, the meal gets properly cooked and you save a precious 10 minutes of energy.
Use your microwave optimally. It heats food from the edges of the plate towards the middle. Put larger chunks of food on the edges, and smaller ones in the middle.
Natural Materials
Try to use as much natural materials in your house as you can. Not only will it make your home more energy efficient but it will also create a more pleasant atmosphere. Cobblestone pavers is a great example for almost any surface you can think of.
Featured image: Wikipedia
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Tags: adaptation Bulb carbon cooking earth efficient energy home Natural materials News Reducing Refrigerator
Light Bulbs
Think about all the light bulbs that are currently active in your house. You probably don’t need half of them, so turn off the light each time you exit a room and you are already making progress. If you haven’t already changed regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones, now is the time to do so.
The most popular choice on the market are LED light bulbs, so give them a try. They may cost more than regular ones, but they are much more energy efficient and it will pay off once you notice how lower your energy bill turns out to be.
Think twice before you get those luxurious chandeliers with dozens of light bulbs on them. The extra light bulbs are completely useless and all they do is waste energy. They may look nice but if your goal is to make your home more energy efficient then you should definitely avoid them.
Refrigerators
Make sure your fridge and freezer are placed somewhere cold, or at least at room temperature. Keep them away from direct Sun light, heaters, radiators and other elements that give off heat. They increase the temperature inside the fridge making it activate its electrical components and use up more energy.
Don’t forget to defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis, unless they have the function to do it automatically. The accumulated ice acts as insulation and increases energy consumption. It makes it harder for the fridge to regulate the temperature so it has to activate the engine more often. This requires a lot of energy that could have been spent on keeping the food and drinks inside the fridge cold. Make sure you closed the refrigerator door correctly. Sometimes it stays slightly open and wastes considerable amounts of energy.
The temperature in the freezer should be around -18 degrees Celsius. It’s considered the optimal temperature for preserving groceries. Anything lower would be a waste of energy. The freezer uses less energy when it’s full then when it’s half full, so if you have a big freezer that you can’t fill up, it will use more energy.
Energy Efficient Cooking
Start your cooking at a higher temperature until you reach boiling temperature. Then, continue to cook on a lower temperature until your meal is ready. To save even more energy, use the accumulated temperature of the oven. If a meal takes 40 minutes to cook, you can turn off the oven 10 minutes beforehand, the meal will still be cooked like the oven worked for the entire 40 minutes. So, the meal gets properly cooked and you save a precious 10 minutes of energy.
Use your microwave optimally. It heats food from the edges of the plate towards the middle. Put larger chunks of food on the edges, and smaller ones in the middle.
Natural Materials
Try to use as much natural materials in your house as you can. Not only will it make your home more energy efficient but it will also create a more pleasant atmosphere. Cobblestone pavers is a great example for almost any surface you can think of.
Featured image: Wikipedia
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Author:
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to home improvement and home decoration. When it comes to home renovation her first choice is In One Homes. Diana also enjoys reading article about interior design.
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