Stop Wasting Money. Improve Your Sustainability at Home

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Understanding the Importance of Energy Savings

We all would like to reduce our costs for energy consumption, water usage and overall building utilities. Especially that way too expensive cable bill you get every month but unfortunately we cannot help you with that one.

Sustainability does not ONLY have to occur during major renovations and cost a significant upfront investment. You can reduce your operating costs by completing these relatively easy to do home improvements today.

See Also: You can now Google your Home to see is Solar Right for you

Effective Ways to Cut Down on Utility Bills: Plumbing

Low flow plumbing fixtures can reduce your water consumption by 50 percent. For example, they can save you up to $145 per year alone on heating water for an average 10 minute shower. This is true when switching to a 2.5 gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head, according to Energy Star, a government program that promotes energy-efficiency.

Consider how changing older plumbing fixtures one by one over a short period can impact your annual operating costs for electricity and water consumption.

• Sink Faucets – generally run at 2.2 gallons per minute but replacing with WaterSense labeled sink faucets meeting EPA criteria use a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute and can reduce water flow by 30 percent.
• Shower Heads – standard showers use 2.5 gallons per minute plus energy for heating the water – accounting for about 17% residential indoor water usage. However, replacing one that uses a maximum of 2 gallons per minute can improve efficiency.
• Toilets – standards use 1.6 gallons per flush, while older can use as much as 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Replacing with 1.28 gallons per flush or less can reduce the water usage by 20 to 60 percent.
• For More Info: https://www.epa.gov/watersense/start-saving

If I like to take longer showers how can i save on water usage?

I mean I don’t know what to tell you if you want to save money and yet waste a good 15 minutes standing there in the shower letting the water hit your head. Sure when you cup your arms together you can see how much water you can collect as a human barrel, but its slowing costing you.

Thermostats that are programmable are a small investment that can pay dividends through the seasonal swing. Even the difference in temperature from night to day can help prevent unwanted waste of utilizing your heating and cooling system.

• By turning your thermostat back 10° to 15° for 8 hours, you can save 5% to 15% a year on your heating bill — a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long.
• The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.
• For colder climates you can use less energy if temperature is maintained throughout the night. The reason is the effort required to get the desired temperature back up when needed offsets the nighttime setback.
• For More Info: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/energy-saver

Light bulbs are one of the most common improvements you can make to become more energy efficient. However, you have many different options to select from. For example, you can switch from a typical 60 watt incandescent bulb to halogen incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Although the payoff in the long run is worth it, the initial investment of changing over can be overwhelming. Start out slow and move room to room.

• 43W Energy-Saving Incandescent – 25% savings and up to 3x lifespan
  • Purchase Price $2 – $15 per bulb
• 15W CFL – 75% savings and up to 10x lifespan
  • Purchase Price $2 – $20 per bulb
• 12W LED – 75%-80% savings and up to 25x lifespan
  • Purchase Price $5 – $25 per bulb
• For More Info: https://www.energy.gov/cmei/femp/purchasing-energy-efficient-light-bulbs

Wtf, have you seen the price on those efficient light bulbs?!

I did the same thing when we were considering purchasing new light bulbs for the house. Best option is to not get overwhelmed. Do a fixture or two at a time and move by room – a little will go a long way.

Weather stripping can potentially impact your energy costs by 10% depending upon the conditions of your existing home. Older homes may not only have single pane windows but doors and windows could be letting in air.

Purchasing weather stripping to seal up door gaps and window drafts can help prevent additional waste of your heating and cooling system. Other areas aside from windows and doors to consider when thinking about air leakage would be the following:

• Heating/Cooling Ducts
• Behind Knee Walls
• Attic Hatch
• Wiring Holes
• Plumbing Vent
• Open Soffit (the box that hides the recessed lights)
• Recessed Light
• Furnace Flue or Duct Chase way (the hollow box or wall feature that hides ducts)
• Basement Rim Joists (where the foundation meets the wood framing)

Simple Upgrades to Enhance Sustainability at Home: Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can serve two energy saving purposes, lighting efficiency as well as heating/cooling distribution. Some models can replace older fans or lighting fixtures to increase your efficiency by 20%. However, the real savings come from the even distribution of air.

When your heating and cooling system pumps air into your room the air can filter through the space in a number of different ways depending upon your system. Even if you have a forced hot air / central air conditioning unit you may find that certain spots remain cooler or warmer than others.

A ceiling fan can help circulate the air evenly and help reduce your heating / cooling need. A thermostat only registering one temperature because the warm air has not circulated over will cause your heating / cooling system to continue to run even when it might not need to be.

Keep in mind that just adding a ceiling fan can help (especially if there is no fan to begin with) but note that even the design of the blades on your fan can influence the effect of air distribution.

I never know what direction the ceiling fan is suppose to spin.

In the summer the blades should be traveling in a counter clockwise direction (as you look up at it). The warmer it is, the higher the speed should be. During the winter, the fan should operate at a low speed in a clockwise direction. This is seen when you’re looking up at it.

Smart Home Improvements That Lower Costs: Appliances

Appliances account for about 13% of your household’s energy costs. Refrigeration, cooking, and laundry are at the top of the list (excluding water consumption). Although the investment in an upgrade is more significant, you might be able to make the leap. When you research your older model’s current operating costs compared to a newer machine.

by Lotus Design N Print (https://unsplash.com/@lotusdnp)

A few appliances that would have more impact on cost savings than others:

• Washing Machines – Traditional models use between 27 and 54 gallons of water per load but replacing with newer energy star models you could be using less than 27 gallons per load.
• Air Conditioner – Over the last 20 years the manufacturing of AC units have pushed out more efficient room and central air conditioners. This might save you an annual $100 depending on usage, location, etc.
• Dish Washer – For a couple hundred dollars you could upgrade to a quieter and cleaner dish washer. Older models may use over 10 gallons per cycle while newer Energy Star ones run an average of 5.8 gallons.
• Refrigerator – Energy Star states there are 60 million refrigerators over 10 years old in use, costing consumers $4.7 billion a year in lost energy. An upgrade could save you up to $300 through the life of the appliance.
• Hot Water Heater – High efficiency tanks can save 10-20% energy use (up to $500), tankless on-demand are 45-60% (up to $1800), heat pumps which are good for mild-hot climates only are about 65% (up to $900) and finally solar water heaters which can range from 70-90% on energy savings (up to $2200) within the lifespan of the unit. See Energy Star
• Furnace – Older models can have an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 56-70% and often have natural drafts that impact performance. High efficiency models can provide around 90-98.5% AFUE with features such as condensing flue gases in a 2nd heat exchanger for added efficiency.

Maximizing Efficiency with Budget-Friendly Solutions: Insulation

Insulation in your walls, floors and ceilings keep your house warm in the winter, cool in the summer and influences your heating and cooling costs. Although this improvement might be a little more involved, it is one that can have a significant impact to the reduction of your monthly expenses.

by Erik Mclean (https://unsplash.com/@introspectivedsgn)

Consider at the very least that a home built before 1980 may not have the building enveloped required. An upgrade in insulation could potentially bring you a 10-50% savings in heating and cooling costs.

The environmental protection agency (EPA) estimates that homeowners can save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs. This is an average of 11% on total energy costs. You can do so by simply sealing air leaks. Also by adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces, and basement rim joists.

Although walls insulation is not readily accessible, consider addressing the attic as cool air drops and warm air rises.

by iD INTERIORS (https://unsplash.com/@idinteriors)

For more info on attic insulation and other tips see EPA – Green Homes

Looking for even more sustainability at home to help you save? Check out https://www.energystar.gov/products/energy_star_home_upgrade