25 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Ready to enjoy a home that uses less energy, is greener, and lowers your monthly utility bills? Create a more efficient home with simple steps that are super convenient to take. 

These tips are practical, and as you add them up, you’ll find yourself saving on your energy costs and enjoying a home that is more comfortably efficient. In fact, you just may fall in love with your home all over again! 

Here are 25 of our favorite energy-saving tips:

Use Efficient Housework Hacks 

Your house needs regular upkeep, but that doesn’t mean you need to waste energy while doing it. These handy hacks are a breeze to implement.

When cleaning: 

1. Wash clothes with cold water. This works for cleaning in almost every instance, and saves you on the cost of heating water.
2. Defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly. Getting rid of ice buildup keeps this appliance running efficiently.
3. Replace air filters every six months. Clean air ducts help your heating system function efficiently.
4. Run the dishwasher and washer/dryer at night. It lessens the drain on the local power grid, and sometimes you can get savings for using energy in off-peak hours.

When cooking: 

5. Use the microwave instead of the stove/oven. It’s faster and lessens your energy usage.
6. Don’t open the oven door while cooking. When you do, it can drop the oven temp by 25 degrees and then take more energy to warm up again.
7. Turn off the oven or stove a few minutes before the timer goes off. Most foods will keep cooking to doneness from the existing heat.

Manage Indoor Temps Wisely 

Creating a comfortable home is one of the culprits of energy overuse. But it doesn’t have to be that way. These tips are great for staying cozy year-round.

Dress for the weather

8. Wear weather-appropriate outfits even when indoors, so you don’t have to crank up the thermostat. 
9. Shorts and linen keep you cool in summer, while sweaters keep you warm in winter.
10. Blankets are perfect for staying toasty in spring and fall when temperatures shift a lot throughout the day.

Use your thermostat the right way

11. Set your thermostat at the energy-saving range—that’s 78 degrees in summer, and 68 degrees in winter. 
12. Use a timer to automatically set your thermostat. Your heating and air-conditioning will run less, creating big savings.

Work with the outdoor weather

13. Need heat in cool weather? Open blinds and drapes on sunny days.
14. In the summer, use sun-blocking curtains to block warming rays.
15. Install (and use!) ceiling fans. They cool a room 4-5 degrees at much less of a cost than your A/C unit. Reverse their direction in winter to direct heated air (which rises) back down to where you can enjoy the warmth.

Block drafts

16. Add weather-stripping to doors—including your garage door.
17. Seal cracks around windows and doors with fresh caulking. (Less drafty homes use less energy.)

Be Bright about Lighting

Lamps and lightbulbs inside (and outside) your house are a significant reason for energy inefficiency. So, up your game with energy-saving lighting hacks.

18. Switch to LED bulbs—they last longer and use less electricity to provide brighter illumination.
19. Use natural lighting as much as possible. After all, it’s free!
20. Put outdoor lights on a timer so they go on as late as possible and turn off as early as possible.
21. Use solar panels and solar lights. These handy features can be low-cost when used as outdoor lights, or they can be more of an investment if you want them to benefit your whole home.

Make Valuable, Energy-Saving Updates to Your Home 

Let’s face it—remodeling and renovations such as getting a new roof, insulating an attic, or installing replacement doors and windows may seem daunting at first. But these upgrades can bring you significant energy savings, while also giving your home a desirable makeover.

Here’s why you should consider updating an older home:

• The latest materials and technologies are more efficient than old, aging products.
• Your roofing, windows and doors are major sources for drafts and leaks—or for cozy, reliable protection if they’re new and energy-efficient.
• Updating home features help you enjoy your lifestyle even more, and they add strong return on investment when you sell your property.

Here are our favorite energy-saving home upgrades:

Insulate 

22. Adding insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces is simple and effective for keeping your home at a steady temperature. This can save you 10-50% on your heating bill!

Get a New Roof  

23. If you notice that your neighbors’ roofs stay covered in snow while yours melts it off fast, you’re losing too much heat! A new roof creates better insulation, keeping heated air inside and lessening your energy use.

Choose a Tankless Water Heater

24. Heating your home’s water can really raise utility costs. Lower that bill by replacing an outdated water storage unit with a more efficient tankless system. It’ll warm up your water faster, while using less energy.

Get New Energy-Efficient Windows

25. Your home’s windows are a major reason the average house isn’t as cozy as it could be. Between old, single-paned glass and damaged seals to gaps around frames and other problems, aging windows can cost you.

Update Your Home with Energy-Saving Pella Windows   

As you apply all these efficiency hacks, you may realize it’s time for new windows. And here’s some great news—updated windows from a top brand like Pella add lasting value to your home. Pella windows can save you as much as 50% on your monthly energy bills, an undeniable plus as you seek to get the most out of your property year-round.

New Pella windows will give you more natural lighting, better ventilation, strong visual appeal and great views. Plus, they give you great return on investment when you’re ready to sell your home.

Learn more about how Pella windows, installed by our experienced, caring team at John McCarter Construction, can benefit your home.