Are you spending hundreds of dollars a month on your utilities? You aren’t alone – and you’re likely missing out on potential savings. You could save approximately $1,000 per year on your home energy bills just by making a few changes throughout your home¹. You can search online to discover easy home updates that offer significant savings year after year.
With small changes throughout your home, you could lower your monthly bills and save on utilities. Search online now to find out how you can make low-cost upgrades that’ll save you money each month on energy costs.
alexkich / Shutterstock1. Install a Smart Thermostat
You probably don’t think about your thermostat unless you’re changing the temperature inside your home. And each time you turn on your heater or your air conditioner, you’re increasing your energy costs. But did you know that the thermostat itself could actually be costing you extra money on your energy bill?
A smart thermostat can help you save money by offering extra insight into your heating and cooling costs. These thermostats can be used remotely – meaning you can turn the heat or AC off when you’re away from home to lower your bill. They also offer “eco” modes, or temperature settings that help you save energy and spend less. A smart thermostat will help you more efficiently use your heating and cooling systems.
Additionally, you can also give your home’s HVAC system a checkup. Is your system old? Is it costing you a lot of money in home heating or cooling costs? Hire a local HVAC professional to take a look at how well your system is running. If your system is broken, corroded, or malfunctioning in any way, you may be able to make repairs and upgrades to save yourself money.
You may even want to replace some of your HVAC system’s components and upgrade to more energy-efficient options. That alone could significantly lower your energy costs and monthly utility bill for big savings both immediately and over the long term.
Potential Savings
Installing a smart thermostat could save you as much as $800 per year².
2. Insulate Your Attic
The attic is one of the hottest and coldest areas of any home. Unlike the rest of your home, the attic doesn’t hold in warmth or cool air; they’re rarely well-insulated, since attics are primarily used for storage.
However, a non-insulated attic allows a whole lot of energy to escape. For example, when you run your AC or heater, all of the cool or hot air will escape in the attic. And that can lead you to turn up the thermostat so you can stay comfortable. Adding insulation to your attic can help it better hold onto hot and cool air and keep your house at a cozy temperature. Insulation will prevent your home from losing heat – or getting too hot – quickly. This can allow you to spend less on energy overall.
Adding insulation doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming either. You can enlist the professional help of a contractor, and the job can be done in no time at all. A contractor can even help you determine the best placement and plans for new insulation to help you get the biggest bang for your buck.
Potential Savings
Over the long term, adding extra insulation to your attic could save you as much as $600 per year³. If your home currently has no attic insulation, the savings could be even more significant. And it’s an affordable investment – insulation costs as little as $1.50 per square foot⁴.
3. Add a Whole House Fan
When it’s seriously hot, the last thing you want to do is turn on a bunch of fans. After all, fans can only move hot air around so much. But turning on your air conditioner can be very, very expensive, especially if you’re running it all day throughout the summer.
Instead, you can cut down on your energy costs by switching to a whole house fan. These fans are big – they’re industrial-sized fans that are installed in the attic. They’ll pull air in through windows and out through attic vents. They can effectively cool your home, and they can do so quickly. It’s a great energy-efficient and affordable alternative to expensive AC.
Any contractor can help you get a whole house fan installed and running. Search online to find quality contractors in your local area at a price that’s within your budget.
Potential Savings
A whole home fan can use 10 to 15 percent of the electrical wattage of a traditional air conditioner⁵. You can see significant savings anywhere from 50 to 90 percent on your energy bill, saving between $70 and $302 each month⁶.
Hire a Local Contractor to Score Big Savings
The energy-efficient home updates mentioned here don’t have to cost you much upfront. But they can make a significant difference in your energy bill each month. If you make all of these changes in your home, you could see savings totaling thousands of dollars in a single year.
However, you don’t want to tackle these home updates and upgrades on your own. You’re no professional, and that could wind up costing you extra time and money. It could even lead to potential mistakes and missteps. A contractor, however, can help you avoid these pitfalls. A professional who’s familiar with the ins and outs of making energy-efficient upgrades to homes can help you discover more ways to potentially save money. And that could really pay off throughout each year.
If you’re ready to start saving, it’s easy to get started. You can search online to find other energy-saving swaps that’ll offer significant savings, and you can also search for contractors who’ll implement them professionally, affordably, and quickly. Every room of your home might be able to help you cut down on your expenses. All it takes is a single search.