Improving Home Energy Efficiency by Avoiding Common Mistakes

Home Energy Efficiency Tips Atlanta GA

You will read a lot of tips about home energy efficiency and you will come across a number of gadgets that promise more efficiency and lower bills. What gets lost amid all the clutter of information out there are the ways that all these wonderful tips can fail to translate into actual savings. Avoiding these mistakes is key to putting home energy efficiency advice and technology to effective use.

Programmable Thermostats

Of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make when looking to upgrade their technology to increase home energy efficiency is replacing an old thermostat with a new programmable thermostat. How can investing in a programmable thermostat be a mistake? By assuming that this technology automatically change the temperature setting to achieve maximum efficiency. That programmable thermostat is going to save you any money or be any more efficient that the old one if you program it yourself. You have a variety of options available for programming temperature settings for maximum efficiency depending on the model you buy. But you have to take an active role for it to do any good.

Hot Water

It’s winter. It’s cold. It’s understandable that you want to hop into a hot shower to get warm. But you may be making a home energy efficiency mistake by assuming that the temperature at which your water heater is set is necessary for getting clothes and dishes clean. A hot water heater thermostat set at 140 degrees could be reset back to 120 degrees without losing its ability to sterilize during cleaning. The water will also still be hot enough to enjoy a shower during the coldest days of winter. Here’s the reason to avoid this home energy efficiency mistake: dialing back the temperature also dials back the percentage of energy and the amount of your power bill that goes to heating up water. That percentage with a water heater temperature set at 140 degrees could easily top 20%.

Insulation

Insulation is great. No doubt about it. When it comes to home energy efficiency mistakes, however, insulation is quite possibly at the top of the list. That’s because homeowners are faced with so many choices. Do you lay down a blanket of fiberglass yourself or spend a little more by hiring a professional to blow in cellulose? Which kind of rigid board insulation works best for your needs? Any insulation is better than no insulation, but you know what’s even better than any insulation? The right insulation. If the cost of heating your home is higher than people you know with a similar house, your biggest mistake could be assuming that you also have similar insulating materials.

Contact Decatur’s Home Energy Efficiency Experts – Empire Heating and Air Conditioning

To learn more about improving energy efficiency in your home during winter, or anything else, please contact us.