It might not be surprising that the last time that you purchased a fridge is ten years ago, and this might not be the most energy efficient fridge available on the market. However, this is not to mean that you should start throwing it away since there are a few things you can do to enhance its energy efficient and save more money in the process. If you can find a fridge with high energy star rating, the best for you as you will enjoy having an energy efficient house that you will always be proud of.
Cleaning and maintenance
To start with, energy expert advice that you maintain your fridge very well and keep it clean at all times. Make sure that you grime and dust the coils regularly as this only contributes towards forming your compressor to work even harder thus increasing the energy consumption. Any spills should be wiped up immediately as they occur and this will certainly make your job much easier and you won’t have to keep the front door open for long. If the rubber seals have started wearing out, it is essential that you replace them right away before they become more serious problems.
Something else that you should determine is when you need your fridge to run. Keep in mind the fact that every time that your fridge is running, it will be consuming energy and you will have to ask yourself whether it is important that to keep it running all year round or not. If there is little in the fridge, you can turn the power off from time to time and this will significantly reduce the energy consumption. During peak holiday times and special occasions, you can have your fridge running throughout but at other times, just turn the power off and you will be amazed at how this will make you have an energy efficient house.
Good air circulation is important
For your fridge to run much more efficiently, it is essential you ensure that the air is circulating well. As such, it is important that you move items away from rear walls and the side areas as well and ensure that air can circulate easily. Doing so will prevent building up of condensation. There are sometimes when condensation freezes and melts the vegetables and this doesn’t make your refrigerator more energy efficient. When air is circulating properly, you will be using less energy to achieve the much needed cooling effect and this will help improve the performance of your fridge in a remarkable way.
Having an overly crowded refrigerator is something that you should avoid if you want to achieve an energy effective refrigerator. This is because you will need to open the door for a long time as you struggle finding for what you need. In addition, this will mean more power consumption as your appliance struggles to keep the items cool. By keeping all these considerations in mind, you should be able to reduce your energy costs significantly and have an energy efficient house.
Some of the washing machines that are highly energy efficient are quite expensive but if your budget doesn’t allow you to buy such a machine, there are many ways on how you can make your old machine more energy efficient and save more on your energy bills.
Wash in bulk
First, it is important that you wash your clothes in bulk and most importantly, avoid overdoing it. This is because having a full sized load will of course take much less power if you compare it to two small washes. This is not to mean that everything needs to be crammed in the washing machine such that the lid or door can’t shut. Doing this will only straining your motor more and will end up compromising your machine’s life in the longer term.
Check your machine’s instruction manual so that you can get the right advice and information on how you should use your machine. If you overload the machine, your machine won’t wash them well and this will not help in any way towards having an energy efficient home. On the other hand, hanging a cleaning cycle while the load is not full means that you will be under utilizing it not to mention that you will be using same amount of water, power and soap.
Whenever you can, always use cold water to wash your clothes and this should essentially entail at least 95 percent of your washes. Hot water should be used only on greasy and grimy washing and doing so will help you save big on power usage. You will need to remember that your washing machine is not the only one which makes your clothes clean. So, in case you feel that you are not cleaning the clothes properly, the problems could be with your liquid or powder soap and it is essential that you try different brands as well and see if there is a change.
Regular maintenance is crucial
It is of paramount importance that you maintain your washing machine regularly and ensure that it is in good condition at all times. A well functioning washing machine uses the minimum amount of power possible and you can be sure that this will significantly reduce your energy bills significantly. Most importantly, ensure that your filter stays clean at all times and you should check the hoses as well to ensure that there is no blockage. It is needless to say that proper maintenance of the machine goes a long way towards extending its lifespan while at the same time making it more energy efficient. The washing machine should be kept in a leveled position since unbalanced washing machine only makes the motor to be overworked. If the motor works harder, you can be sure that it will be consumer much more power than it should and this making your efforts of having an energy efficient house go futile. These incredible tips will really go a long way towards reducing power consumption at your home and enjoy the incredible benefits that come with it.
Some homeowners really have no idea of exactly what makes their ceiling fans energy efficiency even though this is something that they should really know. For some of them, they usually attribute their fan’s energy efficiency to the capacity that the motor has. Still, others attribute the efficiency to how many blades that have been fitted in the fan. The truth of the matter is that no single attribute can shoulder all the responsibilities of making your house energy efficiency and there are so many other factors worthy considering as detailed here below.
Weight of fan vs. speed of rotation
One of the most importance factors that you should really consider is the balance that exists between the rotation speed and weight of the ceiling fan. In case your ceiling fan has a capacity of running 10 miles per hour and you run it at 15 miles per hour constantly, you can be certain that you are going to experience a lot of problems. Still, running it at just 5 miles per hour isn’t recommended either as you will underutilized your capacity. So, you must strike the best balance possible to ensure that you get the most out of your ceiling fan as this is essentially what really determines how energy efficiency it is.
Embellishments and adornments
Another factor that you should certainly not overlook is the embellishments and adornments that are added to your ceiling fan. It is needless to say that a ceiling fan that doesn’t have decorative items is obviously of light weight and this certainly means that it will be performing much better. Adding more weight to the ceiling fan will only make your house less energy efficiency and there are many undesirable results associated with this such as increased energy bills.
Another very important point that you must certainly never overlook is maintenance of the ceiling fun. If your ceiling fan has excess dust, this will essentially result in some very serious complications and this is something that you should really avoid as a serious home owner. So, to ensure that such problems are the least of your worries, it is essential that you undertake regular maintenance activities to ensure that your ceiling fun is performing at its best at all times. Also, the make and brand of the ceiling fan is another important aspect that you should never overlook. You should consult an expert to advise you on how to have an energy efficient house by using the right ceiling fan motor.
When you are buying a ceiling fan motor, do your homework very well so that you can be able to find one with high energy rating. Make sure that you check the motor’s specifications and make the best and most informed decisions as to what you should buy to ensure that you buy the best and energy efficient ceiling fan. As a homeowner, adopting this approach is very importance as it will help you have the most efficient ceiling fan while at the same time keeping your energy bills under control at all times.
Changing your house windows is something that you should take like an investment instead of an unnecessary expense. Installing the right windows can significantly improve the energy efficiency of your home and this something that every homeowner out, there should really consider. It is so unfortunate that most homeowners don’t really seem to understand the benefits of window replacements and most perceive this as one of those unnecessary costs. So, rather than spending your money painting and remodeling your house, why don’t you consider replacing those old windows with some new energy efficient windows?
Reduce the number of windows
Houses that have many windows are more vulnerable to attack by burglars and as such, having many windows is something that you really should be careful about. Having many windows will only tempt the thieves to invade your hose and besides this, such windows can really compromise your efforts of having an energy efficient house. During the hot summer months, such windows can really prove a challenge when it comes to cooling down your home. This calls for installation of more air conditioners as well as fans in the efforts of making it cooler. To avoid all these, it is essential that you reduce the number of windows available at your house and make the ones available energy efficient. Today, the market is full of so many energy efficient, ready made homes that you can buy and install at your house. You just need to do your homework on the type of energy efficient windows that you need to install at your house and enjoy the benefits that come with it. Keep in mind the fact that the style of the windows really matters a lot and you will need to know which ones are more appropriate for your home. Nowadays, it is possible to find windows having mini panes and these ones are easy and reliable to maintain.
Consider double hung windows
When you are considering replacing your windows with some new ones, one of the best windows that you can install to make your home more energy efficient are the double hung windows. A great benefit that you will enjoy from these windows is that they make cleaning the outside incredibly easy. In addition to this, the windows have cute finishes which usually suit most hardware at your home. The standard color of most of these windows is while but other color options are also available as well such as tan shades and almond. Windows with more finishes are essentially more durable and reliable and you have all the reasons in the world why you should consider fixing such windows at your home. By installing these types of new windows, you will contribute greatly towards enhancing the energy efficiency of your home. An energy efficient house is more comfortable and healthier to live in and you will certainly be able to save a significantly large amount of money in the long.
For most people, renewable sources of energy are certainly the way to go about when it comes to providing power for use at their residential buildings. With the energy costs being on an increase, most people are tirelessly looking for ways in which they can cut down their electricity bills and get the most out of their power. Ensuring that your house is energy efficient will really help you a lot to reduce your utility bills and here are a few ways to achieve this.
Keep your house darker at night
A very simple way in which you can cut back on the consumption of power at your home is switching off the lights. Even though this might be a little uncomfortable, it will really pay off very well in the end as you will enjoy considerably reduced energy bills. However, don’t make it too dark otherwise this might result in some security issues and this is something that you should often avoid.
Using blinds and awnings can help
You might be surprised at how opening and closing your blinds could be a simple technique towards helping you save more energy. Doing so really helps a lot when it comes to preventing the heat from sunlight from warming your living room up. When solar radiation is less at your home, this will essentially mean that you will use the air conditioning less often.
Use the clothesline
Most homeowners don’t really seem to understand the importance of the clothesline and will only direct their clothes to the drier for them to dry up. While doing so might be a much faster option of keeping your clothes dry, you should also know that this increases your energy bills as well and it is definitely no way to make your house energy efficient. This approach will definitely save you a lot of money while minimizing the wear and tear of your lovely clothes.
Use the skylight or solar tubes
When you are in the process of designing and constructing a new house, energy experts always advise house owners to include skylight or solar tubes in their blueprint and they will definitely enjoy some incredible benefits. This feature is quite simple and it involves use of the natural sun light for brightening the room up. Another simple way is switching off electrical gadgets such as TVs and radios when they are not in use and this is a sure fire way of helping you save considerably big on your energy bills. Better still, shop for alternative appliances that consumer much less energy and use them in place of those that tend to use a lot of energy. Regardless of the kind of house of house that you have, it is very possible to make it energy efficient if you keep all these considerations in mind. There are many advantages that you stand to reap from an energy efficient house and you can be sure that you will really enjoy a lot living in such a home.
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