Spend Less On Your Energy Bills With These 5 Home Improvements
Are you spending too much on your energy bills? Investing in some home improvements could help to lower your power and heating costs (and increase the value of your home!). Here are just five home improvements worth considering.
Switch to a tankless water heater
If you’ve still got a traditional water heater, it’s possible that you could be using up a lot more gas. Traditional heaters store water in a tank, which is continuously heated up. Tankless water heaters heat up water only when it’s being used at a faucet. Installing a tankless water heater can be costly, but in the long run, you could end up spending thirty to fifty percent less on your heating bills. On top of this, you’ll always have hot water, which means you won’t have to deal with showers suddenly turning cold once the hot water tank has been drained.
Insulate your home
Insulation helps to trap heat in your home, reducing the need to turn on the heating as often. There are countless ways to insulate your home. You could consider buying your own thermal wool or insulating panels to install yourself in your loft. Alternatively, you could pay for professional spray foam insulation such as cavity wall insulation. Installing double glazing Bristol can also stop heat escaping through windows. Of course, if you’re on a budget or in rented accommodation, there are still insulation tricks to consider. For example, buying winter curtains or using insulating window film could be an alternative to installing double glazing.
Install solar panels
If you never want to pay an electricity bill again, you could consider switching to an off-grid power source such as solar energy. Solar panel installation can be costly, but you’ll eventually make up this cost by having your own free power source. It’s worth shopping around for solar panels to find the most reliable and efficient ones.
Install a greywater recycling system
You can also save money on your water bill by installing a greywater recycling system. Wastewater from your sink and shower is re-used for processes such as toilet flushing and garden sprinkling, allowing you to use less water. Like solar panels, this water recycling system can be costly to set up, but you’ll eventually make up these costs.
Upgrade your appliances and fixtures
Old appliances and fixtures can often consume more energy than older ones. An old oven may use up more gas, an old refrigerator may use up more electricity and an old toilet may use up more water. Consider replacing anything that’s over fifteen years old. Energy-efficient electric and gas appliances will generally have an Energy Star rating to show that they’re greener. As for fixtures that use water, they may have special settings such as the economy wash setting on most modern washing machines or the multi-flush feature on most modern toilets.
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