Who doesn’t like to make home improvements? Wouldn’t you want your house to look optimally stylish and appealing at all times? However, as fun, as it might be to makeover your kitchen and rooms, you will find it all the more worthwhile to make changes to improve the energy efficiency of your place.
Why energy-efficient homes?
Are you wondering why you should put in the effort to make your house more energy efficient? An energy-efficient home can offer you a variety of benefits.
Cost-effective
Perhaps the most significant advantage of having an energy-efficient house is low electric and gas bills. You will be surprised at how much you can save on utility bills via a few simple measures.
Enhance the value of house resale
Prospective homebuyers seem to be inclined towards energy efficiency. Therefore, if you want to sell your house, you will find that its value will be significantly raised if you have taken measures to make it energy efficient.
Environment-friendly
It is not only good for you if your house is energy-efficient. Indeed, you will be doing your bit for the environment as well. Everyone knows that energy supplied to residences leads to the release of pollutants into the atmosphere. If your house is energy-efficient, you are doing your part in decreasing this pollution and making the environment pollution-free.
Ways to enhance the energy efficiency of your home
You might be confused about the measures you need to take to improve the energy-efficiency of your house. Let us make things easier for you by providing you with a few simple methods for the purpose.
Fill in the air leaks
Nothing increases energy bills that leaks, and thus the first thing that you need to do is to find the air leaks of your house and fill them up. Drafts are significant contributors to leaks, and you can find them in doors, windows, plumbing vents, wiring holes, and similar other areas.
You can start by checking all the areas where two materials meet like the entrance of the lines in your house. Find these leaks and fix them at the earliest. There is not much that you might need to do. Usually, a layer of a bead of caulk gets the job done as the caulk not only seals the joint but also prevents the infiltration of water.
You might have to replace your doors or windows if they have drafted them. Ill-fitting or old doors and windows leak air quite a bit, and they cannot be repaired with ease. Therefore, it might work in your favor if you simply replace them.
Optimize home insulation
Energy-efficiency is directly related to the insulation of your house. So what can be done for home insulation?
An extra layer of insulation
If your joists, that is, the wood or metal beams supporting the board of ceiling or floor are exposed, an extra layer of insulation can do the trick. Ensure that the second layer of insulation you apply does not have any paper. This layer needs to be rolled over the first layer.
Replacing the damaged insulation
If your insulation has any kind of mold, spots, or rips on it, it needs to be replaced at the earliest. Insulation can be damaged when it becomes soggy or is exposed to leaks. It will not do much good if you try to repair the same one.
Install insulated windows
Insulated windows, which can be either double panned or triple panned, prove to be highly beneficial for energy efficiency. These windows use various techniques for minimizing heat transfer through the window.
The power requirements of your house will be reduced drastically via insulated windows as heat loss is prevented during the cold season, and the cool air is retained during warm summers. Thus, your electrical appliances will have less work to do to maintain a comfortable temperature for your house, thereby reducing the energy bills significantly.
Making some additions
If you are really serious about making your house energy-efficient, you can add some elements for the purpose.
Blinds on windows
Shades or curtains over the windows do not only offer you privacy. They also make sure that the sun is blocked from entering your house and overheating it. You can opt for various styles of the blind from cellular shades to roller ones and make sure that your home does not only look beautiful but also remains cool.
The blinds will make sure that your air conditioner has less work to do in keeping the house cold. What works in favor of shades is that you do not have to deal with caulk or damp insulation.
Incorporating Glassdoor to the fireplace
There is no denying that fireplaces are highly aesthetic and make the whole place look appealing and cozy. However, an open-hearth fireplace with a chimney can increase the cooling and heating costs quite drastically. You can think of it as a window that has been left open, allowing warm air to escape during the cool season and cool air to find a way out during summer. Glass doors can remedy this situation perfectly.
Furthermore, Glassdoor can increase the efficiency of the fireplace and ensure that heat from the fire is radiated throughout the room.
Which way of the above gives more results?
In the end, it all comes down to how much of an effort you are willing to put in to make your house as energy-efficient as possible. All the measures we have discussed provide excellent results.
However, the one, which would prove to be most productive, is installing insulated windows in your house. The thing is that leaks will develop despite your best effort. There is always some nook or corner, which would escape your attention and you, will find it hard to deal with heat leakage.
However, insulated windows will make sure that the temperature of your house remains comfortable at all times. These versatile windows will also keep noise pollution out of your home, thereby enhancing your comfort significantly. Thus, you can be assured that they would have nothing but benefits to offer.
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