Make Your Home
Energy-Efficient by Kathy Scott
According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), Americans spend an average of $1400 a year
on energy bills, 45 percent of that comes from
the heating and cooling of their home. Increasing
the efficiency of your heating and cooling appliances
can substantially reduce your annual costs up
to 30 percent per year. Even more importantly,
making your home energy-efficient helps to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and improves the quality
of our air.
More than a decade ago, the EPA launched the Energy
Star program, voluntary labeling designed to identify
and promote energy-efficient products. Today,
more than a thousand companies and organizations
have partnered with the federal government labeling
energy-efficient appliances, office equipment,
home electronics and more. Since that time, Americans
have purchased more than one billion products
with the Energy Star label.
If you’re building a home or in the market for
new appliances, make sure the product you purchase
has the Energy Star logo on it. For those not
currently in the market for new heating and cooling
appliances, there are still many ways to improve
your home’s energy-efficiency.
First, have your heating and cooling equipment
serviced annually and change your air filters
monthly. A dirty filter can stall the circulating
air flow, requiring more energy to cool or heat
your home. Air escaping through doors and windows
can make a room feel colder or warmer in the winter
and summer months respectively and requires your
system to work overtime as well. Weather stripping
or caulking around doors and windows is an inexpensive
way to keep air from leaking and disallows the
outside air to filter in, which is a major cause
of room variations, and a great way to reduce
your energy bills. Insulating ceilings is another
cost-effective solution, reducing heat loss and
gains and providing a more even temperature distribution
around the home.
The EPA and the Department of Energy also advises
that homeowners consider replacing their thermostat
with a programmable model that can store as many
as four or more temperature settings daily, adjusting
the temperature lower or higher while the home
is empty.
Other products in your home can also drain energy,
though none as much as your heating and cooling
system – water heater (11%), washer and dryer
(10%), lighting (7%), refrigerator (6%), dishwasher
(2%), television/VCR/DVD (2%), computer and monitor
(2%), and others include various household products
such as stoves, ovens, microwaves and small appliances
(15%). Use Energy Star backed products when purchasing
or replacing these items. While taken individually,
the change in your energy costs may be limited,
the EPA claims that if “half of all American homes
replace one standard television with an Energy
Star model, the change would be equal to shutting
down a power plant.”
The home mortgage industry is now starting to
take notice of energy-efficient homes as well.
Since the cost of utilities can often be one of
the homeowner’s highest monthly costs, borrowers
may qualify for higher loans if their home meets
or exceeds the requirements of an energy-efficient
home. To learn more about lowering your home energy
costs, visit www.EnergyStar.org. The site offers
unbiased information for hiring contractors, energy
auditors and more, and provides useful quizzes
for consumers to determine their energy needs
and how to avoid repair nightmares.
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