Upgrading and improving the electrical usage in your home doesn’t have to mean getting a larger electrical bill every month. In fact, newer appliances, lighting, and fixtures are more efficient than the older ones you’ll be replacing. Plan your electrical renovation with energy conservation in mind. Your electrical contractor will know about all the newest additions you can use to improve your energy conservation, so involve him at the very beginning of the planning stage to get the most effective results.
#1: Insulation
One of the most effective ways to save money on energy is to simply not waste it. Make sure you have an effective insulation layer installed in your entire home, to prevent heat from leaking out in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Some of the places you might not have considered are:
- Around the ductwork underneath the house
- At the access point where the dryer vent goes through the wall to the outside
- Between the floor and the crawlspace beneath the house
Look through your home for cool spots or places where the floor is especially cold in the winter to help track down the leaks where your energy and money are quietly sneaking outside.
#2: Lighting
The least expensive type of lighting is completely free: sunlight. Open your drapes and curtains on all sides of the house during the day, especially during the colder months of the year. Not only can you eliminate the need for keeping lights on during the day, the sunshine will add a certain amount of heat to the interior of your house, cutting down on the power needed to run your furnace.
When you do need to turn on the lights, save even more in energy costs by having an LED retrofit done where you currently have incandescent or older fluorescent bulbs. LED lights are cooler, so you’ll save money on air conditioning in the heat of summer, but they only use a fraction of the amount of electricity to run and they last about ten times longer than traditional bulbs, for the most part.
#3: New Technology
One of the advantages of planning a renovation with an electrical contractor is that he can let you know about new technology you may not have heard about. Incorporating this new tech into your home can increase your energy conservation and, as a consequence, save yourself money on your FPL bill each month.
Timers for your lights are nothing new, but today’s timers can control your whole house’s electrical system. Install an advanced timer in your home and your outdoor lighting will come on from dusk to dawn, the bathroom light will turn off after your kids leave it on, and lights will go on and off when you’re not there to fool burglars into thinking you’re home.
Saving money on lights is good, but energy conservation with HVAC will save you much more money. A programmable thermostat will allow you to set the heat or air conditioning temperature to different levels for different times of the day. Don’t heat the house when you’re gone, turn the heat down for a cool and comfortable night’s sleep, but warm up the house half an hour before the kids’ toes hit the tile floor. By only using power when it’s most needed, you’ll be more comfortable while using less energy.
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