
The ABC’s of Energy Efficiency for your Home
Published: February 2021
Author: Bank of England Mortgage Staff
- A - Always turn the light off when leaving a room.
- B - Buy new appliances they are more efficient and will save you money in the long run.
- C - Caulk can help you save big bucks! Caulking your baseboards, windows, cracks, and air ducts can seal up unwanted air flow.
- D - Defrost your refrigerator and freezer to keep them running efficiently.
- E - Energy audits are a great resource that most energy suppliers provide. They will help you locate spaces in your home that you can make more efficient.
- F - Fixtures in this day and age have timers that you can set to only come on when needed, saving energy.
- G - Give your air ducts some insulation so that none of that regulated air escapes!
- H - Have water efficient showerheads and toilets. Same great water pressure but with less water and less cost!
- I - Install a programmable thermostat. It will automatically adjust to the different times of day to have the most efficient heating and cooling of your house.
- J - Juxtaposition is key when it comes to your kitchen appliances. If you can help it make sure your oven and refrigerator are the furthest away from each other because they will affect each other the most.
- K - Know when to replace your air filters. 90 days is standard but if you have a cat or dog it may be more often.
- L - LED lights! They are so much more energy efficient and will last longer than regular bulbs.
- M - Microwave food instead of using the oven
- N - Nature can be your best friend. Planting trees that will block your house from the sun in the summer can save you an average of $100 to $250 dollars on energy bills.
- O - Open the blinds in the winter and let the sun in!
- P - Pull the plug on outlets not being used. Even with nothing plugged in to them they can still use up electricity.
- Q - Quite peaking into your oven while it is on, you are dropping the temperature by 25 F everytime you open it.
- R - Reduce the heat you wash your clothes in. Just changing the setting of your washer from hot to warm can make an impact.
- S - Set your refrigerator temperature to the manufacturer's recommended setting to avoid excessive cooling.
- T - Turn off heated dry on your dishwasher and have it on air dry instead.
- U - Use your ceiling fan in both summer and winter. In summer it can cool your house by 4 F and in the winter it can be used to push down the warm air.
- V - A valuable addition to your home may be to install solar panels.
- W - Wear weather appropriate clothes in your home to stay comfortable without making your heater and AC work harder.
- X - EXperts say that tankless water heaters will save you money in the long run.
- Y - Your computer monitor uses up a lot of energy just sitting there, consider turning it off at night.
- Z - ZZzzzzzZ.. While you are sleeping is a great time to turn down the temperature in the winter because you can stay warm in bed.