10 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Summary

John from Southeastern General Contractors shares 10 tips for increasing home energy efficiency, focusing on heating and cooling, installing tankless water heaters, using energy-efficient lighting like LEDs and CFLs, proper insulation, low-flow fixtures, Energy Star appliances, natural lighting, window and door insulation, energy-efficient landscaping, and professional energy audits to save money and reduce utility bills.

Takeaways

• 🌡️ Install ceiling fans and programmable thermostats to reduce heating and cooling energy consumption.
• 💧 Switch to tankless water heaters for on-demand hot water and lower energy costs.
• 💡 Replace incandescent lights with energy-efficient alternatives like LEDs and CFLs to cut lighting energy use.
• 🏠 Properly insulate your home to enhance comfort, indoor air quality, and reduce utility bills.
• 🚿 Invest in efficient showerheads and toilets to conserve water and lower water usage significantly.
• ⭐️ Choose Energy Star-rated appliances and electronics to reduce household energy bills by 20%.
• 🌞 Utilize daylighting strategies like skylights and light tubes to illuminate interiors with natural light.
• 🪟 Weatherize windows and doors with caulk, weatherstripping, and door sweeps to minimize heat loss.
• 🌳 Implement energy-efficient landscaping to reduce heating, cooling, and lighting costs, and improve air quality.
• 🔍 Engage a professional energy auditor to identify energy loss areas and recommend improvements for energy savings.

Q & A

What is the significance of energy efficiency in a home?

Energy efficiency in a home means using less energy for the same tasks, reducing energy waste, and saving money. It's not just about using less energy but also being aware of how energy is used, where it's wasted, and how it can be used more effectively.

How can installing a ceiling fan help with energy efficiency?

Installing a ceiling fan can reduce the need for air conditioning, which consumes a large amount of energy. It can be used as an alternative to air conditioners, helping to save energy and reduce costs.

What is the benefit of using a programmable thermostat?

A programmable thermostat can save money by allowing heating and cooling appliances to automatically turn down during times when no one is home or at night, potentially saving up to $150 a year in energy costs in some climate zones.

Why are tankless water heaters more energy efficient than traditional ones?

Tankless water heaters provide hot water only as it is needed, eliminating standby energy losses associated with traditional storage water heaters. They heat water directly without using a storage tank, leading to energy savings.

How can replacing incandescent lights with LEDs or CFLs impact energy usage?

Using new lighting technologies like LEDs and CFLs can reduce the energy required for lighting by 50 to 75 percent compared to traditional incandescent lights, which only convert about 10% of consumed energy into light.

What role does proper insulation play in a home's energy efficiency?

Properly insulating a home is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve comfort and energy efficiency. It reduces drafts, lowers utility bills, and prevents heat loss, especially in the attic where a significant amount of heat can escape.

Why are low-flow showerheads and toilets recommended for energy efficiency?

Low-flow showerheads and toilets reduce water usage significantly. Replacing an older 3.5-gallon toilet with a modern 1.6-gallon model can save up to 12,000 gallons of water per year, contributing to energy and water efficiency.

What is the impact of using Energy Star appliances on household energy bills?

Energy Star appliances, approved by the US Department of Energy, can reduce household energy bills by about 20%. If just 10% of homes use these appliances, it would reduce carbon emissions equivalent to the absorption of 1.7 million acres of trees.

How can daylighting contribute to energy savings in a home?

Daylighting, the practice of using natural light to illuminate a home's interior, can reduce overall energy costs by 25 percent. It's commonly achieved through installing skylights or light tubes that channel sunlight into the living space.

What are the benefits of insulating windows and doors for energy efficiency?

Insulating windows and doors can prevent about one-third of a home's total heat loss. Weatherstripping, using caulk, and installing storm windows can create a tight seal, reducing energy waste and improving energy efficiency.

How can landscaping contribute to a home's energy efficiency?

An energy-efficient landscape can reduce heating, cooling, and lighting costs by up to 25%. Strategically placed trees and shrubs can provide shade, reduce heat gain, and lower maintenance and water use, leading to overall energy savings.

What does an energy auditor do to help improve a home's energy efficiency?

An energy auditor assesses where a home is losing the most energy and proposes improvements to reduce energy waste and utility bills. Professional energy audits can take from 30 minutes to four hours, depending on the home's size.

Outlines

00:00

🏡 Energy Efficiency Tips for Your Home

John from Southeastern General Contractors introduces ten ways to make homes more energy efficient, emphasizing the importance of being aware of energy usage and reducing waste. Key tips include optimizing heating and cooling systems, installing ceiling fans, maintaining air filters, and using programmable thermostats. Additionally, the benefits of tankless water heaters, LED and CFL lighting, proper insulation, and low-flow fixtures are discussed. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more helpful tips.

05:00

🌳 Energy-Efficient Landscaping and Auditing

This paragraph focuses on further energy-saving measures such as insulating windows and doors to reduce heat loss, which can account for about one-third of a home's total heat loss. It also touches on the advantages of energy-efficient landscaping, which can lead to significant energy savings and additional benefits like lower maintenance costs and cleaner air. Lastly, the paragraph suggests hiring a professional energy auditor to assess a home's energy efficiency and propose improvements, which can save on utility bills and contribute to a more sustainable living environment.

Keywords

💡Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency refers to the ability to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. In the context of the video, it is about using less energy for the same level of comfort and functionality within a home, thereby reducing waste and saving money. The video emphasizes various strategies to achieve this, such as installing ceiling fans and programmable thermostats to reduce heating and cooling energy consumption.

💡Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are electrical appliances used to circulate air in a room, providing a cooling effect. The video suggests using ceiling fans as an energy-efficient alternative to air conditioners, which consume significantly more energy. By using fans, homeowners can reduce their energy usage for cooling, thus saving on energy costs.

💡Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats are smart devices that allow users to set a schedule for heating and cooling, automatically adjusting the temperature based on occupancy and time of day. The video highlights that these thermostats can save energy by turning down the heat or air conditioning when the home is unoccupied, which can lead to significant cost savings as mentioned in the context of saving up to $150 a year in energy costs.

💡Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters, also known as demand-type water heaters, provide hot water only as it is needed, as opposed to traditional storage water heaters that keep a large volume of water heated at all times. The video explains that tankless heaters save energy by eliminating standby losses, thus reducing energy costs associated with water heating.

💡Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

LEDs are a type of lighting technology that uses semi-conducting materials to emit light. They are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, converting a higher percentage of energy into light rather than heat. The video suggests replacing incandescent lights with LEDs or CFLs to reduce lighting energy consumption by 50 to 75 percent.

💡Insulation

Insulation is a material that reduces the transfer of heat, helping to keep a home warm in winter and cool in summer. The video emphasizes the importance of proper insulation to enhance a home's energy efficiency by reducing drafts and heat loss, particularly in the attic, which can lead to significant savings on utility bills.

💡Low-Flow Showerheads and Toilets

Low-flow showerheads and toilets are designed to use less water than traditional fixtures. The video mentions that low-flow showerheads can come with a pause button to further conserve water, while low-flow toilets can reduce water usage by 2 gallons per flush. These fixtures help save water, which also reduces the energy required to heat or treat the water.

💡Energy Star Appliances

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that certifies appliances and electronics that meet certain energy efficiency standards. The video points out that using Energy Star certified products can reduce a household's energy bills by about 20% and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.

💡Daylighting

Daylighting is the practice of designing buildings to maximize the use of natural light during the day, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The video discusses the installation of skylights and light tubes as methods of daylighting, which can lead to energy savings by reducing the reliance on electrical lighting.

💡Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping is a material used to seal gaps around windows and doors, preventing drafts and improving a home's energy efficiency. The video suggests using weatherstripping and caulk to seal edges and cracks, which can help reduce heat loss and improve the overall energy performance of a home.

💡Energy Audit

An energy audit is a thorough assessment of a home's energy use and efficiency. The video mentions that an energy auditor can identify areas where a home is losing energy and recommend improvements. This service can help homeowners understand where energy is being wasted and take steps to save energy and reduce utility bills.

Highlights

Energy efficiency means using less energy for the same tasks, reducing waste, and saving money.

Increase energy efficiency by being aware of energy use, identifying waste, and using energy more effectively.

Heating and cooling account for up to half of a home's energy use.

Installing a ceiling fan can reduce the need for air conditioning, saving energy.

Regularly replacing air filters in HVAC systems improves efficiency.

Setting thermostats to appropriate temperatures, especially lower at night, can save on heating costs.

Programmable thermostats save energy by automatically adjusting temperatures when the home is unoccupied.

Tankless water heaters provide hot water on-demand, reducing standby energy losses.

LEDs and CFLs can cut lighting energy use by 50 to 75 percent compared to incandescent bulbs.

Proper home insulation is cost-effective, improving comfort and reducing drafts.

Low-flow showerheads and toilets conserve water and reduce water heating costs.

Energy Star appliances and electronics can reduce household energy bills by 20%.

Daylighting, using natural light, can reduce energy costs by 25 percent.

Insulating windows and doors can prevent heat loss and improve energy efficiency.

Landscaping strategically can reduce heating, cooling, and lighting costs.

An energy audit can identify areas of energy loss and suggest improvements for savings.

Transcripts

this is John with southeastern general

contractors comm with ten ways you can

make your home more energy efficient

energy efficiency means you are using

less energy to do the same jobs reducing

your home's energy waste and saving

money to effectively increase your

energy efficiency involves more than

just using less energy it requires you

becoming more aware of how energy is

used where it's wasted and how it can be

used more effectively and efficiently in

everyday life here are ten top tips to

help your home save energy and be more

efficient want to see all our videos

learn helpful tips and keep up to date

on all our projects be sure to LIKE and

subscribe to our YouTube channel

southeastern general contractors let's

build together

number one find better ways to heat and

cool your house as much as half of the

energy used in homes goes toward heating

and cooling installing a ceiling fan can

be used in place of air conditioners

which require a large amount of energy

periodically replace air filters in air

conditioners and heaters set thermostats

to an appropriate temperature

specifically they should be turned down

at night when no one is a home in most

homes about two percent of the heating

bill will be saved for each degree that

the thermostat is lowered for at least

eight hours each day turning down the

thermostat from seventy five to seventy

for example say it's about ten percent

on heating costs installing a

programmable thermostat saves money by

allowing an eating and cooling

appliances to automatically turn down

during times no one is home or at night

programmable thermostats in some climate

zones can save up to $150 a year in

energy cost also at night curtains drawn

over the windows will better insulate a

room number two install a tankless water

heater demand type water heaters

tankless and instantaneous provide hot

water only as it is needed they don't

produce the standby energy losses

associated with traditional storage

water heaters which will save on energy

costs tankless water heaters heat water

directly without the use of a storage

tank when a hot water tap is turned on

cold water travels through a pipe into

the unit a gas burner or electric

element heats the water as a result

demand water heaters deliver a constant

supply of hot water and you don't need

to wait for a storage tank to fill up

with enough

number three replace incandescent lights

the average household dedicates 11% of

its energy budget to lighting

traditional incandescent lights convert

approximately only 10% of the energy

they consume into life while the rest

becomes heat the use of new lighting

technologies such as light-emitting

diodes also known as LEDs and compact

fluorescent lamps CFLs can reduce the

energy use required by lighting by 50 to

75 percent advances in lighting controls

offer further energy savings by reducing

the amount of time that lights are on

but not being used number four properly

insulate your home properly insulating

your home is one of the most cost

effective ways to make a home more

comfortable and energy efficient a

tightly sealed home can improve comfort

and indoor air quality by reducing

utility bills and the cold and draftin

to send a home

hot air naturally Rises therefore if

your homes addict doesn't have

sufficient insulation a large percentage

of the heat in your home will simply go

up and out through your attic the good

news is that you can add insulation in

your attic and enjoy the subsequent

savings year after year and the fine

install efficient showerheads and

toilets low-flow showerheads are

available in different flow rates and

some have a pause button which shuts off

the water while the bather lathers up

toilets consume 30 to 40 percent of the

total water used in homes making them

the biggest water users replacing an

older 3.5 gallon toilet with a modern

low-flow 1.6 gallon tolet can reduce

usage on an average of 2 gallons per

flush

also known as gpf saving 12,000 gallons

of water per year low-flow toilets

usually have a 1.6 gpf marked on the

bowl behind the seat or inside the tank

another type known as a dual flush

toilet has been used in europe and

australia for years and are now gaining

popularity in the u.s. number 6 by

Energy Star appliances and electronics

these devices approved by the US

Department of Energy and the

Environmental Protection Agency's Energy

Star program include everything from

TV's home theater systems and more

appliances and electronics account for

about 20% of the household energy bills

in a typical u.s. home according to the

EPA if just 10% of homes use

energy-efficient appliances it would

reduce carbon emissions by the

equivalent

1.7 million acres of trees that's a lot

of treats number 7 installed a lighting

as an alternative to electrical lighting

a lighting is the practice of using

natural light to illuminate the homes

interior the most common ways this is

done is by installing we're designing in

skylights it's important that they be

double pane or they may not be

cost-effective but keep in mind

flashing skylights correctly is key to

avoiding leaks similar to skylights are

light tubes which uses special lens

designed to amplify a low-level light

and reduce light intensity from the

midday Sun sunlight is channeled through

a tube coated with a lightly reflective

material and then enters the living

space through a diffuser designed to

distribute light evenly day lighting can

reduce overall energy cost by 25 percent

number eight insulate windows and doors

about one-third of the homes total heat

loss usually occurs to the windows and

doors so all window edges and cracks

with rope caulk this is the cheapest and

simplest option windows can be

weatherstrip with a special lining that

is inserted between the window and the

frame four doors apply weather stripping

around the whole perimeter to ensure a

tight seal when they're closed install

quality door sweeps at the bottom of the

doors if they aren't already in place

install storm windows at windows with

only single paints a removable glass

frame can be installed over an existing

window number nine landscaping for

energy efficiency a well-designed and

energy-efficient landscape can reduce

your heating cooling and lighting costs

in certain circumstances carefully

positioned trees and shrubs can save up

to 25% of the energy of typical

household uses energy efficient

landscaping has additional benefits such

as lower maintenance cost a reduction in

water use and acquired our home and

cleaner air number 10 higher energy

auditor to do a walk through an energy

auditor can assess where your home is

losing the most energy and then proposes

improvements to make to help save energy

and reduce your utility bills

professional energy audits can take

anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours

to complete depending on the size of

your home thanks for watching and

hopefully you gain a better overall idea

of how to save money and make your home

more energy efficient want to see all

our videos learn helpful tips and keep

up to date on all our projects be sure

to like and subscribe to our YouTube

channel southeastern general contractor

let's build together

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