Insulation & Ventilation
24.Check your roof and basement for water leaks. Insulation that gets wet is ineffective!
25.Seal any cracks in the attic, basement, or crawl spaces with materials like caulk and spray foam.
26.Block gaps around windows and door frames with weather strips or draft guards.
27.Beware: air vents blocked by drapes, curtains, and furniture can increase heating costs.
28.Make sure your walls are insulated properly to prevent energy loss and shield your home from outside temperatures.
29.Cover bare floors with carpeting or rugs to help insulate your home.
30.Shut the damper in your fireplace when it is not in use to keep warm arm from escaping.
31.Keep the doors inside your home open to allow conditioned air to circulate freely.
32.Most homes come equipped with about 3 inches of insulation in the attic. You can easily upgrade this to 12 inches to reduce both heating and cooling energy usage.
Lighting Your Home
33.Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED or CFL models, which are slightly more expensive to purchase, but will last longer and save you significant amounts of energy and money in the long run.
34.If you have halogen light bulbs installed, you should consider replacing them with CFLs, which don’t emit as much heat and use much less energy.
35.When purchasing new light bulbs, double-check that you are purchasing the correct bulb size and brightness for your light fixture to avoid losing energy by installing light bulbs that are too big or too bright for your actual needs.
36.Check all of your light fixtures to see if they have an “Energy Star” label. If not, it might be a good idea to invest into “Energy Star” certified lighting.
37.Manual timer controls are a great way to set certain times during which you want lights or electronics to be switched on. Once that time period ends, all of the connected devices will switch off automatically.
38.Install dimmer switches to control your lights can be a great and simple way to save on energy. By dimming a light, you reduce its wattage and energy output.
39.Install motion sensors in your exterior, which turn your lights on only when something or someone is moving.
40.Similar to thermostats, which control temperature, there are now digital systems you can install that control lights throughout your home. Some even offer remote control features through a connected mobile app. These digital systems can help you determine the most efficient use of light and automate the turning on and off process.
41.Reduce the overall amount of free standing, redundant lights throughout your home to avoid turning them on out of habit.
42.If you want to increase the efficiency of your free standing lights, try installing light-colored lamp shades and placing them in corners, because from there they will reflect light from two walls instead of just one (especially in front of bright wallpaper).
Harnessing the Sun
43.When purchasing a new home or installing new windows, keep an eye out for the “National Fenestration Rating Council” label, which certifies energy-efficient windows.
44.Installing light-colored curtains is a great way to allow sunlight to enter and brighten the room without inviting too much heat.
45.A natural way to shield your home from sunlight is to plant trees on the sunny side of the house.
46.Make use of your shades by blocking sunlight from entering your home during the day in the summer. This will help keep it cool inside.
47.During the winter, leave the shades wide open during the day, which will allow the sun to heat your interior with natural, free energy.
48.Use shades to block warm air from escaping your home in the winter by keeping them shut on the north side of your home during the day
49.At night, keep shades shut all around the house to keep warm air in.