As the month and year draw to a close, people everywhere are going to be receiving their utility bills again, and a good percentage of those people are going to be shocked by the number they see. Utility bills can quickly add up to be incredibly expensive, especially during the winter where it’s easy to use more energy. If you’re looking to keep your electricity bill under control, here are a few things you can do starting in the new year to reduce your energy consumption and improve your home’s efficiency.
Keep Your Bills From Heating Up
This is going to be one of the top ways you can cut down on your energy expenses, especially as the colder season continues to start out the new year. Heating and cooling account for 50% of energy use in the average home, so this is one of the first places you should look when aiming to reduce your spending.
Make sure that you’ve properly insulated your home in every way you can. This includes checking for cracks in windows, doors, or walls that could be creating a draft in rooms throughout your home and letting precious heated air escape. Additionally, make sure your roof and attic are properly insulated. Without adequate insulation, up to 20% of every dollar spent on home heating goes right through the roof.
A Bright Idea To Reduce Consumption
Everyone knows that it’s good for your energy consumption to turn off the lights whenever you leave a room that’s no longer in use, but there are other clever ways to cut down on this common expense as well around the holiday season at the end of the year. If you do want to go all out for the holidays and deck the halls with as many lights as you can, make sure you use LED lighting. LED is commonly found in holiday string lighting, so this shouldn’t be too difficult to do.
However, if you want to take your lighting savings a step further, see if you can switch out your existing bulbs for LED bulbs. LED bulbs use 75% less energy than traditional incandescents, which can lead to huge savings on your electricity bills during the winter months.
Starting On Savings From Scratch
If you’re planning on making any major changes to your home in the coming months as part of your New Years’ resolutions, be mindful about how you approach your construction. Using the right methods and materials can dramatically cut down your overall energy bill in the long run. Look into potentially making use of modular construction for all or part of your additions or renovations; modular constructions reduce energy consumption during the building process by around 67% and reduces energy costs later on for occupants.
If your renovations are more focused on improving what you have rather than adding something new, make sure your new appliances and features for your home are energy efficient. For appliances, look for low-flow water fixtures or energy efficient appliances that use less electricity. If you’re adding windows, consider adding storm windows; storm windows can reduce heat loss by more than half.
As the new year approaches, make sure you’re doing everything in your home to cut down on your overall energy consumption. Considering the increase in smokestack construction in the last four years, it’s important to conserve energy for the environment as well as your home. Your future will thank you.
