8 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient:

   Brought to you by SJO Electric and McGuire Property Management

Improving the energy efficiency of your Denver property doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or force you to perform expensive upgrades or routine maintenance. Believe it or not, simple tweaks and DIY could potentially make your place a little more comfortable, at the same time, your energy bills would go down.

 

Here are some of the best ways to make your home energy efficient.

1. Upgrade Your Furnace

Do you still have that old, ancient furnace of yours? Well, if you really want to save electricity, it’s ideal to switch to modern-type furnaces. They are known for consuming lesser energy. Aside from that, you should also have your furnace serviced by a professional annually. This involves regular cleaning of the parts that you can’t easily reach by hand. Make it a habit to change your filters every three months or so. This would give you the guarantee that your unit would last longer.

2. Try Using Insulating Blankets for Your Water Heater

Water heaters have always been considered as energy-friendly because the water is not being heated even when not in use. However, for electric hot water tanks, you can wrap it up with an insulating blanket. This would prevent heat loss.

 

 

 

3. Consider the Help of Property Managers

Perhaps, you already know the basic concepts on how to make your Denver property a little more energy efficient. However, if you really want to ensure that you’re doing the right thing, hiring a property manager in Denver is advisable. They have the expertise that would allow you to upgrade the units and make them more energy efficient.

4. Don’t Forget to Seal the Duct Work

You’re probably not aware that hot air could escape through the joints in ductwork. What does this mean? You’ll be paying to heat places that you don’t even want to heat up. Not just that, you won’t even get the heat you need for areas that need to be heated. Fortunately, you can save yourself from this kind of trouble by applying a heating-vent tape to all visible joints.

 

 

 

5. Test the Windows and Doors

If there is an absence of an airtight seal in your Denver property, you’re bound to waste energy when heating and cooling

your home. That’s why it’s very important to check for drafts, and this can easily be done by holding a lit candle around the doors and window frames. In the case that it flickers, then this can be a clear sign that it has a draft. Furthermore, by caulking around the frames, as well as installing or replacing the weather stripping, you’ll also be able to prevent the heat from escaping out. During colder months, the use of exterior window film would improve the efficiency of your place even more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Determine How Many Hours the Lights Are On

Have you ever considered the number of hours you use artificial lighting? What we’re talking about are the lights inside your house. Well, if you really want to make your home energy efficient, you better start paying attention to this. One of the many ways you can look to increase the overall ROI on your investment is to determine how many hours the lights are on. By doing so, you’ll be able to adjust the use of lighting in order to ensure that you wouldn’t be wasting much energy and start saving instead.

7. Lower the Thermostat

To make your home more energy efficient, you should have the habit of lowering the thermostat whenever you’re away from home. Believe it or not, by simply dropping the temperature by 3-5 degrees, you’ll be able to reduce your monthly bill dramatically.

8. Opt for LED Lights

LEDs are extremely environmentally friendly and energy efficient. They consume up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs. The pricing has dropped considerably in the last couple of years and they are much more affordable. If you are looking to make your home more energy efficient, installing these lights will help. You’ll have a dramatic decrease in your energy bill seeing that they only use a fraction of the energy an incandescent light uses. Lastly, you’ll also save in maintenance since they have a longer lifespan.

 

 

Final Words

Your home is a system. In order to save money, and improve performance, you should pay attention to how you use electricity. The more you save, the more you’ll be able to have more money for other useful stuff. Lastly, try to consider the use of clean energy generation, such as geothermal and solar, to save the environment at the same time.