Home Energy Efficiency Tips for Earth Day!

Earth Day is coming up at the end of this month, so we wanted to share some home energy efficiency tips and helpful resources!

Quick and easy energy saving tips:

• Use smart devices when you can! Installing a smart thermostat and putting your home’s temperature on a set schedule can dramatically help with energy costs. On average an Energy Star® rated smart thermostat can save homeowners approximately 8% annually on heating and cooling bills (Energystar.gov).

• Swap out all incandescent light bulbs for LED light bulbs.

• Regularly service your furnace/boiler or air conditioner to make sure they are clean and running without any issues.

• As the seasons change, change the direction of your ceiling fans. During the warmer months your ceiling fan blades should be set to spin counterclockwise, and the opposite is true for colder months.

• On warmer spring and summer days, keep the heat out of your home by using an outdoor grill instead of indoor ovens.

• If your home has a traditional wood-burning fireplace, try to get some type of balloon or seal for the fireplace when it is not being used. Your local home improvement store will most likely have a plug available for purchase. They are typically made out of wool, or are an inflatable balloon that can be inserted into your chimney, and easily removed when you do want to use your fireplace. Check out an example here!

More in-depth energy saving tips:

• Spend a warm spring or summer day walking around your home's interior and exterior and seal any gaps/cracks that you can find!

• Purchase energy efficient appliances as your older ones near the end of their life expectancy.

• Improve your home's insulation (especially the attic!)

• Consider restoring or replacing your windows. If you have original windows in your home, consider replacing your old storm windows for more energy efficient ones, and then having your original windows restored. If the windows are just not salvageable, you could also look into newer, energy-efficient windows!

• Consider switching to a tankless water heater! If your water heater is near the end of its life, you could consider replacing it with a tankless version, which is significantly more energy efficient and tends to outlast conventional storage water heaters. For even better results, opt for a condensing tankless water heater, which reuses exhaust gas to help heat your water more quickly.

If you don’t know where to start you can always contact your local energy company to conduct a home energy audit (a link to Xcel Energy’s is here). It’s a simple and quick way to get some honest information on your home’s energy efficiency.

Or, if you know you want to tackle some larger energy efficiency projects this year that may require the help of a professional, reach out to a VIBE agent! We’d be happy to help connect you to some local and reputable contractors.

Happy spring!