Home efficiency is more than just getting the most bang for your buck on your energy bill. Home efficiency is a smart way to lower your utility costs while also lowering your carbon footprint. As an environmentally conscious society, we want everything we own to be as energy efficient as possible. But what does that even mean? There’s more to it than just turning down the thermostat when you leave for work. Instead, you need to understand the different types of efficiency, the types of energy required to run different appliances, and how to optimize your home to reduce your energy consumption. Let’s go over the basics of home efficiency.
What is Home Efficiency?
Home efficiency is the concept of using less energy to run your home. It includes understanding the different types of efficiency and how to optimize your home to reduce your energy consumption. Home efficiency can be as simple as turning off lights when leaving a room or as complex as using a geothermal heating system.
Types of Home Efficiency
Though home efficiency can be as simple as turning down the thermostat, there are actually multiple types of efficiency. There’s renewable energy, thermal energy, and even a type of home efficiency called passive house. Renewable Energy- This type of energy is environmentally friendly because it’s free and doesn’t put a strain on our resources like fossil fuels do. It comes from natural sources like solar power, wind power, geothermal heat pumps, biomass heating systems, hydro-electricity and tidal turbines.
Thermal Energy- This type of energy is efficient because it requires less work than conventional methods to run the appliances in your home. Some examples include taking hot water from the shower to heat up the water heater or getting warm air by using an electric stove. Passive House Design- This type of design uses very little or no heating or cooling for your home which means you don’t have to use nearly as much energy. It’s also known as super-insulated homes because they’re insulated in such a way that reduces heat loss and gains from each other. This type of home is only used in specific climates where extreme cold or heat isn’t an issue for the inhabitants.
How to Improve Home Efficiency?
There are three primary ways that you can increase the efficiency of your home: Optimize your appliances to use less power. By keeping your appliances in good working order, they will be able to operate more efficiently and use less energy. This is important for any appliance that’s not a gas or electric oven, microwave, dishwasher, or refrigerator. Conserve energy by making smart choices about which appliances you purchase. Think about things like installing an efficient furnace, water heater, and air conditioner as well as using LED light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. Improve your efficiency by purchasing efficient appliances and switching over to a programmable thermostat.
Tips for Improving Home Efficiency
-The first step to improve home efficiency is determining what appliances you should have. -Next, think about the energy used by each appliance. -Lastly, make sure that you’re using energy efficiently with your appliances. You can improve this by turning down the thermostat when not in use and unplugging appliances when they’re not in use. -Carbon footprints are calculated by differentiating between the greenhouse gas emissions produced by an individual or enterprise and those left behind after use. Home efficiency helps reduce your carbon footprint because it lowers emissions and reduces waste production.
Conclusion
Home efficiency is a term that, in some cases, refers to the process of improving the energy efficiency of a home. The term can also refer to the process of making a home more energy efficient as well. Improving home efficiency can have an economic benefit for the homeowner, as well as an environmental benefit, including energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
