Home Energy Saving Tips

Every bit of energy saved is a greener environment and more money in your pockets. You can do simple, inexpensive things yourself in your home to get substantial energy savings. Here are ten useful tips for higher energy efficiency:

• Get a programmable thermostat. It costs only $50-$120 and gives you tremendous control on temperature settings of your HVAC. You can program your thermostat to turn off the HVAC during the hours you plan to be away from home or optimally set the temperature according to the weather. Your investment will start paying back within just months of installing the programmable thermostat.

• Install energy-efficient appliances. Energy-efficient devices like HVAC, washer-dryer, dishwasher, etc. draw less power while delivering high quality performance. The government also provides a tax break for purchase of such devices. The devices save $300-$400 in electricity bills and pay back for their costs over 3-4 years.

• Seal the ducts in your HVAC. All it takes is tape to seal leaks in the HVAC ductwork. Leaks cause warm or cold air to escape and increase your energy bills. Sealing the ducts can be laborious with having to access the attic or the basement but the payback will be well worth your efforts.

• Replace the HVAC filters regularly. Cloggedand dirty HVAC filters force your HVAC to expend more energy to heat or cool. Regularly replace the filter and avoid costly bills. The cheapest filters cost only $2 each and last for a month.

• Turn off the phantom load. When connected to an electric outlet,many appliances like TV, VCRs, laptop and cell phone chargers, etc. draw a small amount of power even when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads cost $15-$20 every month . Use a simple power strip to plug these devices and turn off the switch on the power strip to save power and your costs.

• Seal your windows. Leaks around windows often go unnoticed but are a big drain on energy. Use caulk and weatherstripping to efficiently seal the leaks. The process is easy to execute and costs less than $100 to work around an average home.

• Insulate your water heater and hot water pipes. Inspect the area around your water heater. If the surrounding air or the heater surface is warm to touch, heat is going waste. You can put an insulating blanket on the heater to plug the energy leaks. It only costs around $20-$40 depending on the dimensions of your heater.

Hot water pipes running to your dishwasher, clothes-dryer, kitchen and wash-rooms can all leak heat. Covering the pipes with foam insulation can save quite a bit of energy.

• Use fluorescent lighting. Commonly used incandescent light bulbs generate a lot of heat in addition to light. In summers, this can burden your HVAC to compensate for excess heat. You can avoid this by using fluorescent lights which are highly energy efficient.

• Install motion sensors. Motion sensors control electric switching by sensing motion in a room. If there is no motion for a while, the sensor turns off the connected devices. This is very useful to control lights in a garage or a basement where you can prevent drawing energy when you do not need it.

• Plant trees in the right place. Deciduous trees and evergreen trees when planted in appropriate places can serve as wind barriers and reduce chills during the winters. They can also provide shade in the summers and cool nearby areas as water continuously evaporates from their leaves. This will reduce the work load on your HVAC.

In addition to making you more responsible towards using natural resources and saving you money, all these home energy saving tips can also help you increase the resale value of your home.