Energy Efficient Homes and Sustainability

15 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient and Sustainable

Whether it is a completely new home or your old colonial home built in the 1800s, there are many ways to make sure that as the person living there, you are saving as much money as possible, while also doing good for the environment. When it comes to energy efficiency, these two things go hand-in-hand. Increasing efficiency in your home also decreases the amount of resources you need so that you are paying smaller electrical, heating, cooling and water bills. Efficiency can be anything from the type of vegetation you have in your yard to the type of dishwasher you have in your kitchen. Below are 15 ways to make sure your home, regardless of its age, is as efficient as possible.

1. Insulate walls, ceilings and under floors. This will save on heating, cooling and energy costs.
2. If building a new house, orient your home to maximize sunlight with the most sunlight entering from the south facing side of the home.
3. Pick appliances with high energy-efficiency ratings. 
4. Source building materials locally to reduce the environmental impact and financial cost of transporting them.
5. If you are exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, install solar panels or a renewable resource generator on your property. This will reduce electric bills and save you money in the long run.
6. If shade is needed in the hotter months, add vegetation and deciduous trees near the house so that it stays cooler in warmer months and the bare branches allow sunlight to warm your home in the colder months.
7. Upgrade or replace your windows if single glazed so that they don’t leak. This will reduce heating and cooling costs in your house and keep it better insulated. Double glazed windows are highly recommended for any home. 
8. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps or LEDs. They can save ¾ of the electricity used by incandescents. Designing for maximum natural light will reduce the need for artificial lighting in your house.
9. Choose native plants and vegetation for your yard to increase the health and biodiversity of your property. Native plant gardens are also easier to maintain. 
10. Plant drought-resistant plants to reduce the need to constantly water your yard and gardens.
11. Install low-flow fixtures for sinks and showers so that you’re reducing the amount of water consumption when you don’t need it.
12. Excess humidity can cause mold problems so an alternative to using vents and fans in bathrooms is leaving windows open during more comfortable and low humidity weather to allow the humidity to escape.
13. Use non-toxic paints to reduce the environmental impacts of the home. 
14. Plan for a long lasting design. Choose long-lasting and durable building materials that won’t have to be replaced frequently. Investing in good materials upfront if possible, can save a lot of money in the long run.
15. Install skylights in rooms that need lots of light to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Great places for them are kitchens, bathrooms and offices.