Maximizing home energy is more than just reducing waste but also about saving money. Saving energy requires small, everyday changes, and it’s easier than you think. Here is what you need to do to maximize home energy:

Change Your Appliance and Electronics Usage Habits

Collectively, your appliances can become significant drivers for your home’s energy use. Save on energy by making a few habit changes:

Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use – Leaving on appliances and electronics needlessly burns power. Naturally, a major appliance like your refrigerator needs always to be plugged in. However, small kitchen appliances, chargers, entertainment systems, and computers use up energy when they’re plugged in – even when not in use. Their standby or sleep modes may seem insignificant, but together, they still account for a percentage of your energy use.

Wash only full loads of clothes – Use your clothes washer efficiently by waiting until you can do full loads. Not only will this help save energy but also water. You can also save by choosing to wash your dirty laundry with cold water instead of hot.

Take cold showers – Hot showers may be soothing but there are health benefits to taking cold showers. Colder showers means your hot water heater isn’t working as hard, therefore cutting energy usage.

Improve Your Heating and Cooling Efficiency

Your HVAC system represents a significant percentage of your energy costs. Increasing your HVAC energy efficiency is crucial to bringing down your energy bill and keeping your home comfortable throughout the year. Schedule your HVAC system maintenance so that a professional technician can ensure your system is running at peak performance.

In the meantime, you can:

Change your air filter – This is one of the most important steps to make sure your system is running at optimal efficiency. A dirty filter means your system has to work harder to push air through. 

Seal around your windows and doors – Sealing cracks and gaps where air can escape means that you are keeping the conditioned air from your HVAC system inside your home.

Install a programmable thermostat – Programmable thermostats can be set to automatically adjust the temperature based on your unique schedule, reducing energy usage when you’re not at home or asleep.  

Identify Any Problems Through a Home Energy Audit

The best way to determine where you can save the most energy is by scheduling a home energy audit. A home performance expert will evaluate your home’s cooling and heating equipment, insulation, and more. The audit should also include air leakage evaluation and airflow diagnosis. With this insight, the consultant will provide a personalized plan on how to solve your biggest energy challenges.

For more questions on your HVAC system’s energy usage or for service requests, click here or call us at 301-663-0300.