Utility costs are on the rise and show no signs of coming back down anytime soon. Homeowners in the United States spend a little over $2,000 a year on their home’s utilities. Apart from using less electricity, most people don’t know how to decrease their utility bills.
On top of rising utility costs, there’s the need to protect the earth from the carbon footprint our energy consumption leaves behind. With the rising concerns of energy costs and consumption, energy efficiency has become a big deal in recent years. However, many people still wonder what energy efficiency is and what it has to do with their household.
What’s the point of energy efficiency?
Whenever you use electricity in your home, whether it be your refrigerator, dryer, or air conditioner, your home consumes and wastes energy. That means you’re paying for electricity that you’re not even using. The real question is, how does that make you feel? The main goal of energy efficiency is to get the most out of the electricity that you consume. In other words, it’s about getting your appliances to consume less energy while doing the same work, or more.
What are the benefits of energy efficiency?
Americans make decisions with their wallets as much as their heads and hearts. One of the greatest things about energy efficiency is that it’s a great way to knock a few digits off your utility bills.
Appliances that aren’t energy efficient have to work harder and longer than energy-efficient appliances. Imagine turning your central air unit on and hearing a hum, feeling a little airflow, and still having to wait for long time periods to start feeling a difference in your home. That’s a sign that your air conditioner is wasting energy instead of putting it to use by cooling your home. Replacing your old AC unit with a newer one may cost you more in the short term, but you’ll see savings on your utility bill in the future.
Old houses are some of the greatest health hazards and energy wasters.
If you’re living in an old home that hasn’t been renovated or brought up to date, then your home is probably a grievous energy consumption offender. Old houses in need of renovation often have air quality problems, cracks near doors and window sills, and old air conditioners with dirty condenser coils.
Families with severe issues with their air conditioner’s efficiency are also more prone to having health problems. If your central air unit has a dirty air filter or dirty condenser coils, then keeping your home cool on a hot day could be the least of your worries. Not only will those problems cause your AC unit to waste a lot of energy, but in severe cases, it can lead to air pollution in the home.
Air pollutants like mold are common reasons people living in old houses often contract asthma and allergy problems. Your air conditioner’s energy efficiency has a major effect on your pockets as well as the air quality in your home. To avoid potential problems with allergies, asthma, and other illnesses that poor air quality and pollutants can cause in an old home, it’s crucial to make sure your HVAC system works properly and efficiently.
If you live in a historic home and are worried about how renovations could affect the home’s value, there are ways to make your home energy efficient without defacing it. Historic home restorations often include measures to increase the home’s lifespan and energy efficiency. If you live in an old home and have extortion-level utility bills, then it may be time for some energy-efficient renovations.