Do you feel like you like you are trying everything to lower your electric bill without lowering
your quality of life?
We would all love to use and pay the bare minimum, but sitting in the living room of a 90-degree
home is not the most comfortable way to save money.
Instead, why not take some steps to make your home more energy efficient?
Not only is this a good way to do your part to help the environment, but it will also help you
save money.
If you are already considering some home improvement projects this season, you might as well
include some that save energy as long as you have your tools out.
A few little changes can make a big difference on your savings.
“Here are a few green home improvement
ideas that you can try to make your
home run more efficiently.”
Insulate!
If you can’t keep your home cool in the summer or warm during the winter, then you might have
an insulation problem.
It is estimated that up to 90 percent of homes are under-insulated.
By adding insulation to the upstairs, you can help maintain the temperature of your household
year-round.
This will save money on your heating and cooling bill because you are not losing all that cold or
warm air through the walls or ceiling.
For this project, you may need to hire a professional, but if you are handy, you can do it yourself
and save money on labor costs.
Upgrade your Lighting
Although you may not think of getting new light bulbs as a major home improvement project,
buying energy-efficient lightbulbs such as halogen incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs),
and light emitting diodes (LEDs) can greatly influence your home’s efficiency.
They last 4 to 10 times longer than regular lightbulbs.
They also help you save around $6 a year on electricity.
They may be a little more expensive at first, but their benefits far outweigh the initial cost.
If you are going to purchase new light fixtures, stick with energy-efficient bulbs.
A new light fixture with an old lightbulb still wastes electricity.
Rain Gardens
Instead of creating a normal garden that will only serve one purpose, create a Rain Garden.
Rain gardens absorb all the pollutants and keep them from draining into the sewer, and in turn,
rivers and lakes.
The process is easy.
When organizing your garden, make it into a shallow hole so water will drain into it.
Your garden will help with flooding, erosion and water quality.
Try to plant more plants native to your climate to improve their success and help the natural
environment.
By creating an almost self-sustaining garden, you don’t have to water it as often.
About the Author
Paul Denikin began learning about DIY home repair projects after his daughter, Maggie, was born with special needs. He has learned a lot through trial and error as he has worked to make his family’s home safe and accessible for her. Today, he shares his DIY knowledge on DadKnowsDIY.com, a website that offers home improvement project how-tos and other accessibility information.
Home Photo Courtesy of Pexels.com
“Shared at Sustainable Sundays”
We love our “Water garden”… technically it is just a garden under our neighbor’s hill, but the water from my neighbor’s broken pipe from their sump pump to the street drains into our yard. Instead of having two sump pumps working on our end, I planted a big garden along that whole side of the house, then put a path in the middle. It’s MUCH better now for water buildup!
Thanks for linking up at #SustainableSundays!