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Increasing Home Energy-Efficiency

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If you’ve ever opened up a utility bill and been shocked by how high your electricity or gas expenses are—this is the blog for you. Whether you immediately start questioning how often you’ve been leaving your lights on, or if one of your kids is messing with the thermostat while you’re not around, this fluctuation in your utility costs could really be a result of outdated appliances and fixtures.

 

Luckily, you can solve this costly scenario by making your home more energy-efficient! Follow these energy conservation tips:

Upgrade Your Appliances & Fixtures!

Appliances, fixtures, and entertainment technologies are the main energy monopolizers in your home. Thankfully, engineers and manufacturers are consistently pushing the envelope to develop more energy-efficient models. This means that home appliances—lighting, kitchen essentials, and the networks they run on—are far more efficient now than they have ever been before.

Let’s take the light bulb, for example. The average homeowner spends about 5% of their energy budget on lighting alone. If you have old, inefficient bulbs, such as incandescent lighting, that number can grow to 10%, or even higher.

Switch your incandescent bulbs out for halogen incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps, or LED bulbs and you’ll start saving on both energy use and costs. Additionally, these alternative light bulbs have significantly longer lifespans than traditional, incandescent bulbs. So, you truly are getting more bang for your buck!

Replacing your lightbulbs can be a DIY task! It is simple and will make an immediate impact on your energy bills. This is a home project you won’t regret taking on. However, home energy conservation efforts don’t stop there! Other appliances in your home, such as your refrigerator, your air conditioning network, and your water heating system should all be maintained regularly and replaced about every ten years as well. The newer the technology, the better the energy-efficiency and the lower your utility bills.

Think About Your Electrical Infrastructure

If you have addressed upgrades in your home to reduce energy consumption and your bills are not reflecting a decrease in use—the root of the problem is not in your appliances and fixtures but rather the system they run on. You cannot paint over a flawed system with new technologies.

It’s time to consider the electrical infrastructure of your home. Your wiring may not be conducting electricity as efficiently as you’d hope. If you have aluminum wiring, this may be the cause of your high utility costs.

Aluminum wiring came about in the 60s, in response to the increase in copper prices. It is often present in older homes; however, it is not as safe or as efficient as copper wiring, the material most widely used today.

Aluminum wires weren’t designed for the plethora of appliances we use daily. From gaming consoles to laptops and phones—aluminum wiring cannot handle this high level of electrical demand, resulting in an increased risk of an electrical fire. If you have outdated electrical infrastructure, it’s time to re-wire. Contact your local electrical professionals for home rewiring.

Use Sunlight to Your Advantage

Lastly, we recommend you take advantage of the free light and energy from the sun, especially during the summertime. Strategically use your blinds and windows to let the sunlight in when you want to maintain a warmer and brighter space and to keep it out when you want to stay cool and have a darker ambiance. This will allow you to reduce light fixture and HVAC use, making a positive impact on your monthly energy costs.

Wherever people connect, you can find Jeremy Electrical! From residential to commercial electrical services, our electrical contractors in Kansas City can handle everything from simple electrical repairs to upgrades to installations to electrical safety inspections. When it comes to heating and cooling, our technicians can have you back to comfortable in no time – repairs, replacements, tune-ups and more for both homeowners and businesses.