Tag Archives: efficient

Mar14

Reduce Your Bills With A More Energy Efficient Home

Posted on by
Standard
Reduce Your Bills With A More Energy Efficient Home

Household expenses are continuing to rise, all thanks to inflation. Many individuals and families are being forced to look for savings to stop their expenses from getting out of control – which is often easier said than done. Making your home more energy efficient is a great way to help you reduce your bills, and can help you develop less wasteful habits too. Making a few small changes could add up to big savings, and teach you some things about your energy use. Take a look at some of the best and most effective ways to reduce your energy bills:

Turn off your lights and appliances when they’re not in use:

It’s easy to leave your lights on in another room or keep your TV on standby throughout the night, but these things and various other habits can add unnecessary costs to your energy bill. Being better at turning things off or pulling the plug can make a big difference in your energy use. While it’s easy to forget to do these things, you’ll soon see a noticeable difference in your energy use if you make it a habit.

Make your home a smart home:

Another way to manage things like your lighting and heating is to make your home smarter. Smart home devices can make it easier to control your home so you can control what you spend on energy. From dimming the lights with the sound of your voice to shutting off the heating when nobody is home, a smarter home can help you take a much more economical approach to your energy spending. Adding smart technology is also one of the ways you can increase the value of your home, making it more modern and appealing for potential buyers in the future.

Upgrade your windows:

Better insulation can make your home more energy efficient. This is because newer windows are better at keeping the heat in your home, meaning you could reduce how much heating you use throughout the colder months. Explore local energy-efficient window installation companies to help you find someone to replace your windows. New windows can make a huge difference to your home, helping to make it warmer and more modern if you choose contemporary frames.

Consider changes to your heating system:

Older heating systems can use a lot more energy than newer systems, which are designed with energy efficiency in mind. Choosing a different type of home heating system can reduce your bills, and make your home warmer or cooler where needed. It’s also important to maintain your heating system regularly to ensure it’s not using excessive energy to compensate for poor performance caused by a fault.

Making your home more energy efficient can future-proof your home while reducing your bills in the process. Look at your current usage rates and set targets to bring them down. You’ll be amazed at the difference and can feel proud of your efforts to reduce your energy bills!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Advertisement
Feb9

Efficiently Renovating Your Home

Posted on by
Standard
Efficiently Renovating Your Home

The winter is an ideal time to work on home renovations because, chances are, you’re going to be home a lot more often as opposed to when the weather is nice. Despite seemingly endless time until the temperatures warm up in the spring, it’s important to work efficiently on your projects to make the space functional for you and your family. Let’s look at some ways that you can make your renovation process smoother:

Make Your Plan:

Before you can begin any type of project, you must plan accordingly. Making and changing decisions once the project is underway will only slow you down so having a game plan is essential. What do you want accomplished? Are you going to complete the project yourself or hire someone? What supplies do you need? Will the renovation work with your budget? Once you have answers to all of these questions and then some is when you can actually begin the work.

One Stop Shopping:

Time is of the essence with renovations and you don’t want to spend several days at a million different stores to get everything you need. Choosing the Marshalltown building supplies is a good idea. Or any other home supply store in your area. Have a list at the ready so you can get in and out. Although you might not get absolutely everything in just one store, it can be a great first start to get the initial process going.

Create A Schedule:

Once you have workers on board or your supplies ready, create a schedule and try to stick to it as strictly as possible. Even if you are doing the renovation by yourself, it’s still a job and should be treated as such. Have an end date to complete everything by in mind and plan your days accordingly to achieve it. Taking lots of breaks is all well and good until you get stuck on a tedious part and your end date gets pushed back.

Know Your Limits:

DIY is awesome and there are tasks that almost anyone can complete like painting the room or assembling furniture. However, people without all of the proper know how will find themselves in trouble pretty quickly when it comes to more skill based work like plumbing and electrics. A home renovation project is not the time to just “give it a try” it’s a time to do, so know your limitations. Saving money with things that you can do is great but a DIY gone wrong will end up costing you way more in the long run.

With the pandemic and cold winter weather, we are all at home a lot right now. Renovating your space efficiently with the tips above will turn your home into an even better place to be!