How to make home energy savings in your house

STOP GLOBAL WARMING

Save energy and money

HOW TO MAKE HOME ENERGY SAVINGS

Most of our homes are energy inefficient buildings, which is a cause of large energy losses and high energy bills. Installing Solar Panels in a building

Smarter energy-efficient homes ensure a healthier indoor environment, lower costs to operate (or even to build) and are environmentally-friendly. To get one we should act at different levels: location and size, orientation and landscaping, day-lighting, windows and skylights, natural ventilation, energy-efficient building materials, insulation and sealing...

See, for details: Smarter energy efficient homes

Home Insulation

Insulation is often the single most important element to reduce energy bills. Before installing or remodelling any outdated heating system (air conditioning, boilers, furnaces...) pay attention to the insulation issue.

See, for information: Basics on Insulation

Qualified windows and doors

Qualified windows and doors might save you energy and money, and increase your home's comfort. Old conventional windows and doors can account for over 25% of the heating and cooling energy bills in a typical home.

See: Windows and Doors Basics
See also: Weather-stripping windows and doors, Caulking windows and doors

Indoor and Outdoor Lighting

Lighting is responsible for around 5-15% of home's electricity uses. This large consume can be reduced by 50% or more using proper indoor and outdoor lighting or through fluorescent lights and lighting controls as dimmers and sensors.

Skylights

Roof skylights can provide daylighting and natural ventilation and nicer views. Just take into account possible drawbacks, their different types, their energy-efficiency or their sizing.

See: Basics on Skylights

If just half of our homes used solar water heaters

Climate change – in its present patterns - is mainly a process caused by humans, and largely by the energy we are consuming in our homes (see: Environment and house energy efficiency).

If half of our homes used solar water heaters, the CO2 emissions cuts would equal the emissions of half the cars driving around North America.

Solar water heating demands an higher initial investment than conventional solutions, but the payback is 3 to 10 years… And after it, your hot water bills will be... nearly zero.

See more:
Pros and Cons of Solar Energy Panels
Costs and payback of Solar Energy
Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems
Solar Electricity: Photovoltaic PV Systems
Solar Panels Technology

Heat Pumps: an environmental choice for home heating and cooling

Geothermal heat pumps are a sound environmental choice and a great alternative to central air conditioning. And they are also cooling appliances, not just heating appliances.

See:
Heat Pumps Basics
Are Heat pumps suitable for your home?

Heating Your Home

There are plenty of ways for reducing your energy heating bills. Some involve fast, immediate measures like weather-stripping, sealing or insulation. Others involve more structural approaches: passive solar techniques (orientation and shape of the house, thermal materials...), solar power systems, geothermal heat pumps, energy-efficient windows, doors, insulation...

See:
Weather-stripping and sealing
Solar power basics
Passive solar basics
Heat Pumps Basics
Energy efficient windows, doors and skylights basics
Insulation Basics

Cooling your home more naturally...

You may say that you can't live without a central air-conditioner... But there are several alternatives to central air conditioning, even considering a non-optimal or even a poorly energy-designed home.

Just consider the right options to central air conditioning.

See:
Alternatives to central air-conditioning
Ground heat pumps
Evaporative coolers (in dry climates)
Fans: whole house fans, ceiling fans, attic fans and namely solar attic fans…
Awnings, drapes, shades (to windows and glazing), window films
Insulation, namely attic insulation and wall insulation
Use of solar passive techniques
Natural ventilation
Roof insulation
Attic and ceiling insulation
Reflective roofing materials: membranes, coatings, ceramic and metal tiles and roofs
Radiant barriers
Air leaks caulking and weather stripping
Energy-efficient lights
Shade trees, bushes and vines
Landscape improvement

Protecting the environment & Energy Savings

Our most innocent acts - driving a car, heating or cooling our homes – are deeply connected to global warming and climate change. But there are some ways of keeping our homes comfortable, and even saving money through sound energy-saving practises. Just an example: using compact fluorescent lights reduces electrical consumption for lighting by 80 percent...

With a little effort and investment in our homes we all can obtain substantial energy savings over the years, protecting environment for future generations and decreasing the energy bills.

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Home Improvement and Energy Efficiency