Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Energy Efficiency Upgrades improve a properties efficiency and sustainability. For energy efficiency uprades trust ElectricMan.

Energy Efficiency Services

Have you considered making energy efficiency upgrades to your home? Reducing your carbon footprint is not only healthy and safe, it is also cost-effective – using less energy to provide the same quality, thus reducing your utility bills.

If you have considered making your home more energy efficient, you might wonder how best to set about this. Some of the most important steps are small and cheap, others are fairly more expensive. Here we consider a number of useful upgrades you could carry out to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Seal the leaks: Your doors, windows, basement and attic could have cracks that let cold air seep into your house. Sealing them up improves your energy efficiency and lowers your heating bills.

Seal all ducts: Ducts are very important to your home, carrying hot or cold air to different parts. Leakages in the ducts could lead to the escape of this air, requiring more than is necessary to achieve its aim. Duct sealants can help repair leaks in exposed ducts.

Insulate pipes and ductwork: Unfinished or unheated areas – such as the garage and attic – should have the ductwork that passes through them insulated. Similarly, the first two meters of your hot and cold water pipes should be insulated with insulating wraps or foam sleeves to lower water usage and save heating costs.

Energy efficient lighting: Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) consume about 75% less energy than traditional fluorescents. ENERGY STAR certified Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) also consume much less energy than their traditional counterparts.

Install a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat could save you about 10% on your heating and cooling bills by itself. While it might seem initially expensive, by coming up only when you are at home and in need of them, they save you more than you expend on them.

Smart power bars: Smart power bars with timers or master plugs that power down devices that are not in use help to reduce the consumption of standby energy.

Upgrade old equipment: Your Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system can always be upgraded to a more energy efficient model, resulting in lower energy bills. Upgrading your exhaust fans to ENERGY STAR certified models and venting them outdoors is another important step to take.

Reduce power consumption in standby mode: Electronics in standby or sleep mode continue to draw power, accounting for about 10% of your electricity bills. Take time to unplug any devices not in use, and all devices when leaving the home. A switch to ENERGY STAR certified products which consume no more than one watt in standby mode is an important step. Smart power bars also help.

Audit your home for energy efficiency: This should probably be the first step you take on your journey to an energy efficient home. While it is not an upgrade per se, an energy efficiency audit would help you know where you stand and just what is needed to improve your efficiency.