Due to the rising emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities and the steady decline of non renewable Energy sources like fossil fuels, the importance of energy efficiency is a hot topic today.

Households use, around 11% of the global energy production and that number is growing.

By increasing the energy efficiency of your home you are contributing to a solution of a global problem and, at the same time, you are making your household more efficient and cost effective in the long run.

There’re many ways to make your household more energy efficient, some of those involve a big once in a lifetime investment while others require small but important changes to your house and to your attitude towards energy consumption.

In the article below we’ll try to explore some of these.

Insulate Your Home

The first thing you should consider is to upgrade the insulation of your home.

An appropriate insulation is a crucial component in any living space. It will minimize the energy needed for heating or cooling the house.

Every surface of your home that has a direct contact with the outside world, like the walls, the floor or the ceiling, should be isolated. For the best results, first, you should learn where your home is losing most of its energy.

Then find the right approach for solving the problem. If you’re skilled for DIY tasks, try installing the insulation yourself, otherwise, consult an expert.

Improve The Doors and The Windows

About one-third of the total energy loss of a building occurs due to faulty doors and windows.

Here are some tips for addressing this problem:

• Seal all the edges and cracks with a rope caulk or weather stripe – it’s one of the simplest and cheapest options.

• Tinted windows may look great on a car, but they aren’t the most attractive solution for a home. Nevertheless, considering how effective they can be in keeping the heat out, it’s not a bad idea to give them a chance. Keep in mind that the foil should be installed from the inside, that way it’ll last longer and it won’t be as intrusive.

• Try out the double glazed residential windows. They can adapt to your existing windows or doors and contribute to energy saving, environmental noise reduction and thermal comfort.

Take Care of The Appliances

The rational and responsible use of home appliances is crucial for energy efficiency.

• Don’t forget that the appliances, even the small ones, consume a lot of energy even when they’re on idle, so it’s better to unplug them when they’re not needed.

• Avoid wasting energy with inefficient use of the appliances. For example, when using a washing machine or a dishwasher, make sure that they are fully loaded, because they are using the same amount of water and electricity whether they are full or not. Use a laundry dryer only when it’s really necessary.

• If you haven’t done it already, consider replacing the old household appliances with the newer, Energy Starcertified ones. It may cost you a bit more on the start, but they will save your money later.

Rationalize With Lighting

Classic incandescent bulbs convert only approximately 10% of the used energy into visible light, the rest is radiated out as infrared or heat.

Replacing these with modern bulbs which use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), you can reduce your energy consumption significantly.

These sources of light are more expensive, but they also last 12 times longer than the incandescent ones. Of course, you should always turn off the lights when you’re leaving the room.

Make it on Your Own

Renewable energy sources are the future. A way to pitch in into this trend is to install a solar collector on your rooftop or in the back yard.

While the electricity produced this way won’t be sufficient for the entire house, the savings, in the long run, will be significant.

Upgrading your home to be more energy efficient isn’t too expensive or difficult at all.

You don’t have to apply to all of these suggestions, a few of them could be just enough to achieve notable results and to encourage your friends or neighbors to do the same.

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