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Technology is advancing at a rate we can’t even keep up with. One day a device comes out and the next day something else will come out to the market that’s ten times better than the last. Change is happening all around us and it is important to keep up with all the technological advances, so we can take the most advantage of them to make our homes more efficient. Making these proactive changes may even have an impact on your bank account. You could save hundreds of dollars a year by making simple and easy changes around your home. Bellow, shared by the Huffington Post, are a few ways to make our homes energy efficient.

1. Replace your current bulbs with LED lamps. Saves: $40/ month. The amount of energy saved by changing these lightbulbs is more than 80%.
2. Install a programmable thermostat. Saves: $180/ year. Control the temperature of your home from your smartphone wherever you are.
3. Change your air filters on time. Saves: $40/ year. Changing air filters regularly will save you money that can be used to buy extra filters.
4. Upgrade to dual flush toilets. Saves: $100/ year. These decrease water usage by managing how much water is being used each time the toilet is flushed.
5. Use light dimmers. Saves: $15 for every $100 spent. Light dimmers save more than 90% of light energy, this means 10% of energy bill.
6. Auto turn off charging stations. Saves: $180/ year. Charging devices use almost 10% of a home’s energy.
7. Drip feature shower heads. Saves: $40/ year. These drip features control the amount of water flow while showering.
8. Set up auto shut off on laptops or desktops. Saves: $30/ year. It is much easier to leave your laptop or desktop to go to sleep on its own, but this still wastes energy. By turning on the “auto shut off” setting, your computer will shut down after a period of inactivity.
9. Smart blinds. Saves: 10-15% a year in energy costs. These blinds reduce heat loss by up to 86%.
10. Use your ceiling fan. Saves: 10% a year in energy costs. In cooler months, ceiling fans can be used to push the warm air down from the ceiling.
11. Smart power strips. Saves: $30 a year in energy costs. Smart power strips eliminate wasting energy. They will automatically turn off, so the electronic devices don’t use up energy while they are shut off.
12. Quit using schedules on outdoor irrigation systems. Saves: $10/ month
13. Motion sensor lights. Saves: $10/ month. Save around 60% by only using outdoor lights when truly needed.
14. Solar powered outdoor lights. Saves: $30/ year. Although expensive at first, these solar powered energy systems will begin to save you money in the future energy bills.
15. Dusk to dawn LED bulbs. Saves: $10/ month. After a period of inactivity, the LED light bulbs will turn off. Thus, not wasting energy by having lights on when they don’t need to be.

References

Mangukiya, Piyush. “15 Effective Home Improvement Ideas to Make It Energy Efficient (INFOGRAPHIC).” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Oct. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/15-effective-home-improvement_b_8377744.html.

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