5 Unconventional Upgrades to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient

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Happy Eco News 5 Unconventional Upgrades to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient 

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5 Unconventional Upgrades to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient 

Energy efficiency matters. Even as the world transitions to renewable energy, the majority of the power coming through your home’s outlets originates from fossil fuels — and every effort to reduce the burning of oil, coal and natural gas counts.

Your mind might automatically turn to switching to solar or changing your light bulbs. However, these aren’t the only efforts that count. These five unconventional upgrades will improve your home’s overall energy efficiency and may even save you some sweet cash in the bargain.

Why Energy Efficiency Matters

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 60% of the nation’s energy still originates from fossil fuels. Only 21.4% comes from renewables like solar, while the remainder stems from nuclear power. Fossil fuel use has pushed humanity to the edge of a climate cliff. Climate change has advanced to a point where rising sea levels are slowing the earth’s rotation, and longer, hotter days only add fuel to the existing fire.

Despite the signs arising everywhere in the form of more frequent and severe storms, heat waves and wildfires, governmental actions remain inadequate. World leaders are not on track to meet the goals established by the Paris Agreement. As a result, the world is on track to hit 3° Celsius (5.4° Fahrenheit) of warming by the end of the century. Should this occur, it could usher in devastating sea level rises and scarcity that would threaten countless lives, not to mention the ecological damage and permanent extinction of many species due to habitat loss.

Throwing up your hands in despair won’t help solve the problem. Everyone’s efforts matter, and seeking unconventional upgrades to improve your home’s energy efficiency can make a difference in reducing fossil fuel use.

5 Unconventional Energy Efficiency Upgrades

What should you consider to make your home more energy-efficient that you might not have thought about previously? Here are five unconventional upgrades that can make a considerable difference.

1. Get Smart

Replacing all your bulbs with LEDs that use 90% less electricity is only the first step in improving your home’s energy efficiency. Your efforts go even further when you pair those snazzy new bulbs with an equally jazzy smart home system that picks up where human frailty leaves off.

How many times have you left the house with lights still on? It’s easy to do, especially if winter hours at your job have you leaving and arriving back in the dark. With a smart home system, you can say “lights out” with a single command to your phone’s digital assistant, even if you’re already at the office. They pair with apps that allow remote access from anywhere.

That’s not all smart appliances do to slash energy consumption, however. For example, smart washers and dryers calculate the appropriate water level and cycle length through sensors that measure the weight of your clothes, eliminating human error from the equation. Smart thermostats automatically adjust your dial when you leave for work or go to sleep, slashing your HVAC use — the biggest drain on your home’s energy reserves.

2. Go Tankless

When upgrading your home’s appliances, consider replacing your conventional water heater with a tankless model. These only run while in use, unlike standard models that maintain a constant internal temperature, which requires a significant amount of power. Therefore, tankless versions take less fuel to heat the same amount of water.

Another trick you might remember from your childhood is to reuse bathwater for several bathers, at least if they aren’t too dirty. It uses far less water — and energy — to fill the tub with about 2 inches or so of water for washing up at day’s end. Each subsequent bather simply tops off with a bit of fresh water to maintain the heat, letting the whole family get ready for bed without filling the bathtub multiple times.

3. Perform an Insulation Audit

Do you run a space heater in your home office because the freezing floor makes you shiver despite central heat? If the room sits above an uninsulated garage, adding insulation to the space underneath keeps you warmer without needing an extra appliance.

Perform a home energy audit, checking for spaces where you might lack insulation. Your garage is one often neglected space, as are your attic, basement and areas around ductwork. Environmentally friendly insulation choices include recycled cellulose, wool and some of the newer spray foams that eliminate harmful VOCs. Furthermore, caulk around drafty windows and check the weather stripping on your doors.

Insulation principles also work on your windows. You may not be able to change your home’s layout to take advantage of passive solar, but window dressings make it possible for anyone to benefit. For example, if your home office bakes your back in the summer, thanks to the window behind your desk, installing blackout curtains can keep you cooler during July and August without running the AC. Pull them back in October to stay toasty in the space all winter, courtesy of the sun’s rays.

4. Partial Solar

Converting to solar power can lower your energy bills, but what if you rent your home or simply can’t afford the upfront investment? Today’s tech makes it possible to go solar on a smaller scale, with equipment you can take with you. For example, Jackery makes an impressive line of solar generators that are equally efficient for powering your entire home office — in addition to being invaluable prepping tools if the grid goes down.

For instance, you could use solar landscaping lights to create an illuminated path from your driveway to your door. Are you on a well? Although it’s a slightly pricier upgrade, a separate solar pump for your drip system keeps your landscaping beautiful without fossil fuels.

5. Family Togetherness

Although more families are investigating multi-generational living due to high housing costs, such arrangements can also slash overall energy use. It takes less energy to power one home — or one single-family home and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) — than it does two complete units.

Some people convert their basement or attic into a living space for grandma and grandpa or adult children looking to save on rent. Others build a separate ADU elsewhere on their property. You can even find tiny home kits online these days. Rural dwellers free from HOA restrictions might install separate septic systems, providing parking for multiple RVs on their acreage.

Such arrangements have other advantages. For example, it’s easier to carpool when running errands, further reducing emissions. Even if you build a separate in-law suite, you share the same landscaping. Furthermore, the added financial solvency you get from combining earnings could provide the income you need for additional eco-friendly upgrades that save you money in the long run — like converting your property to solar.

Unconventional Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency matters, especially as most of the nation continues to run on fossil fuels. Finding unconventional ways to reduce your use improves your overall carbon footprint while saving money on utility bills. It also reflects doing your part to move toward a more environmentally sustainable future.

The post 5 Unconventional Upgrades to Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient  appeared first on Happy Eco News.

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