14 Dec How to Improve Energy Efficiency in Your Newly Purchased Home
How to Improve Energy Efficiency in Your Newly Purchased Home
Have you recently moved into a new-to-you house? Is this new-to-you home an older home where energy efficiency wasn’t really a priority when it was built? If you’ve answered yes to these questions then there is a good chance there are a number of steps you could take to improve the energy efficiency of the home, lower your energy bills, and cause less stress to the environment.
With that in mind, here are some of the areas you could train your attention on and start making changes.
How Old Are the Windows
When it comes to guilty culprits of energy loss, windows are high on the list. So much heat/cool air can be lost through the windows and the frames especially if they are old. Because window replacement is rather costly, you may want to tackle one room at a time, gradually doing the whole house over the span of a few months or even a couple of years.
If new windows are out of the budget for right now, you can focus on re-sealing the frames to prevent any drafts from occurring.
Consider Replacing the Boiler
Another thing to consider is the age of the boiler in your home. If you have a home with an old boiler, chances are it’s not very energy efficient at all. Over time they get less and less efficient, even before they technically need to be replaced.
Experts like Duffy Heating who specialize in boiler repairs suggest that the age of the boiler could signal it’s not just time for a replacement, but time for an upgrade. Switching to a combi gas boiler allows homeowners to better the fuel efficiency of the boiler, and there is the fact these have less harmful emissions.
Energy Efficient Appliances are a Must
Here’s a really quick and easy way to improve the energy efficiency in the home and that’s to swap out all the old appliances for new models that use much less energy to operate. And it’s not just your appliances – even electronics can be wasteful where energy is concerned, so replacing them with energy-efficient models makes good sense.
Switch to LED Lights
Take a walk through the home and do an inspection of all the light fixtures you have in the home – wall, ceiling, standing, and table lamps. You want to look to see if each fixture is using LED bulbs, as these can save up to 80% in terms of electricity.
Use Curtain Linings to Act as Insulation
Finally, there are curtain linings that can be added to your existing curtains. These work as a layer of insulation so that the warm or cool air stays inside your house and doesn’t seep out.
Age Doesn’t Have to Matter
An energy-efficient home is a goal that any homeowner can work on, regardless of the age of the house. From big and expensive projects to smaller fixes, there are plenty of steps you can take to improve the overall energy efficiency.