How to make home energy savings in your house

STOP GLOBAL WARMING

Save energy and money

HOW TO MAKE HOME ENERGY SAVINGS

Home Insulation

Insulation is often the single most important element to reduce energy bills. Before installing or remodelling any outdated heating system (air conditioning, boilers, furnaces...) pay attention to your home's insulation.

See, for information: Basics on Insulation

Qualified windows and doors

Qualified windows and doors might save you energy and money, and increase your home comfort. Old conventional windows and doors can account for over 25% of the heating and cooling energy bills in a typical home.

See: Windows and Doors Basics
See also: Weather-stripping windows and doors, Caulking windows and doors

Indoor and Outdoor Lighting

Lighting is responsible for around 5-15% of home's electricity uses. This large consume can be reduced by 50% or more using proper indoor and outdoor lighting or through fluorescent lights and lighting controls as dimmers and sensors.

Skylights

Roof skylights can provide daylighting and natural ventilation and views. Just take into account possible drawbacks, their different types, their energy-efficiency or their sizing.

See: Basics on Skylights

If just half of our homes used solar water heaters

Climate change – in its present patterns - is mainly a process caused by humans, and largely by the energy we are consuming in our homes (see: Environment and house energy efficiency).

Why aren't we using more solar panels roofs?

There is an initial costly investment? Yes. But the payback is 3 to 10 years… And after that period, your bills with hot water (or electricity) will be nearly zero.

If just half of our homes used solar water heaters, CO2 emissions reduction would equal that produced by half of all of the cars driving around North America.
Installing Solar Panels in a building

See more:
Pros and Cons of Solar Energy Panels
Costs and payback of Solar Energy
Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems
Solar Electricity: Photovoltaic PV Systems
Solar Panels Technology

Heat Pumps: an environmental choice for home heating and cooling

Geothermal heat pumps are a sound environmental choice and a great alternative to central air conditioning. And they are also cooling devices, not just heating devices.

See:
Heat Pumps Basics
Are Heat pumps suitable for your home?

Heating Your Home

There are several ways of reducing heating bills.

Some involve fast, immediate measures, as weather-stripping, sealing or insulation. Others involve more structural approaches: passive solar techniques (orientation and shape of the house, thermal materials...), solar power systems, geothermal heat pumps, energy-efficient windows, doors, insulation...
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Reducing heating bills?
See:

Weather-stripping and sealing
Solar power basics
Passive solar basics
Heat Pumps Basics
Energy efficient windows, doors and skylights basics
Insulation Basics

Cooling your home more naturally...

You may say that you can't live without a central air-conditioner... But there are several alternatives to central air conditioning, even considering a non-optimal or even a poorly energy-designed home.

To save the planet (and money and energy) consider the right options to central air conditioning. They vary with climate and specific situations, but some are surely a good alternative and will suit your needs. See some alternatives, below:

- Heat pumps, namely ground heat pumps
- Evaporative coolers (in dry climates)
- Fans: whole house fans, ceiling fans, attic fans and namely solar attic fans…
- Awnings, drapes, shades (to windows and glazing), window films
- Insulation, namely attic insulation and wall insulation
- Use of solar passive techniques
- Natural ventilation
- Roof insulation
- Attic and ceiling insulation
- Reflective roofing materials: membranes, coatings, ceramic and metal tiles and roofs
- Radiant barriers
- Air leaks caulking and weather stripping
- Energy-efficient lights
- Shade trees, bushes and vines
- Improvement of landscape
- Isolation and replacement of heat-generating appliances.

See also: Alternatives to central air-conditioning

Protecting the environment & Energy Savings

Action is need now to prevent global warming. And action begins with each of us. We must revise the ways we use the energy – within our homes, or with our cars.

Our most innocent acts - driving a car, heating or cooling our homes – are deeply connected to global warming and climate change.

But there are some ways of keeping our homes comfortable, while we save money through sound energy-saving practises. Just an example: using compact fluorescent lights reduces electrical consumption for lighting by 80 percent...

With a little effort and investment in our homes we all can obtain substantial energy savings over the years, protecting environment for future generations and decreasing the energy bills.

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Home Improvement and Energy Efficiency