Submitted by: Eric Badgely

There are many reasons to make your home more energy efficient. Not only does it benefit the community around you and help create a more healthy and sustainable world, but it is also a good way to save money personally. There are multiple ways to make your home more energy efficient, some more invasive then others. Easy steps include things like reducing the amount of water you use on a daily basis: washing full loads of clothing, not doing dishes with the water running constantly, or placing a brick in the water chamber of your toilet. Turning off lights when you leave a room, and using energy efficient light bulbs can also help reduce your energy bill.

There are a some slightly more complicated ways of saving energy in your home that if planned correctly can make a huge difference. Old, incorrectly installed windows can hinder your energy efficiency more than you might guess. If you live in an older home with single panes, it would be wise to have your windows evaluated and possibly updated to a newer technology. Some double pane windows even have argon gas between the panes that slow the transfer of heat from the outside in, and from the inside out to help with both extremely hot and cold weather.

There are some other energy efficient systems that can be installed in your home to reduce costs and dependency on non-renewable sources of energy such as fossil fuels and coal. These systems can not only save you money month to month on your energy bills, but also increase the resale value of your home. If you decide you want to invest in a energy efficient system the first step is to do an energy audit on your home, to check the energy usage and develop a plan to make the most of your system.

One of your options is to install a solar powered system. These systems can be expensive to install but in the end they pay for themselves in reduced energy costs. Solar systems use power from the sun to generate the electricity to run the utilities in your home. One of the most common types of a solar power system is used to heat the water in your home, but there are systems available for room heating as well. If you can afford the initial cost of installation then a solar powered system is a great way to increase energy efficiency in your home.

Rain water harvesting is another way to help reduce costs in your home, and even in a whole neighborhood of homes. It takes quite a bit of planning to make it possible to harvest raindrops but the outcome can be extremely beneficial. If you have to ability to get a whole community in on the project the cost per house is nothing compared to the money saved by this energy efficient system.

If you are in the process of building your own home, or renovating, then it is the ideal time to think about how to make your house energy efficient. Good insulation in the walls and window treatments can save you a lot of trouble down the road, and cross ventilation in the rooms can reduce the need for heat and air conditioning. Even the design of your house can have an impact on its energy efficiency. Higher ceilings can help cushion the impacts of summer heat and reduce air conditioning bills by noticeable amounts.

About the Author: This article was produced by Eric Badgley; specializing in

Bellingham Real Estate

and

Whatcom County Real Estate

. http://www.bellingham-realestate.net

Source:

isnare.com

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