Electricity runs everything. From your house’s lights and fans to the air conditioning system, it’s impossible to survive without power today. However, when you see a beefy amount mentioned on your energy bills, it’s not a pretty sight either.
Energy consumption is one of the most primary aspects that govern the quality of our lives. The less energy you consume the less money you will have to spend on your electricity bills and the less you will create a load on the environment. Precise energy conservation is a practice that shall benefit us in not one but two ways.
One does not need to go out of their ways or compromise on the quality of their living, in order to conserve energy. The kind of houses that are being made these days are constructed keeping in mind one of the most important aspects, which is energy conservation. The houses are well ventilated and have water harvesting facilities, also several other innovative features that reduce the energy consumption by the people living in them.
However, if you are living in a house that is not newly built and has the old infrastructure it may lack in its nature-friendly construction. But, you do not need to buy a new house just to conserve energy. All you need to do is follow some home remodeling ideas that will reduce the energy consumption of the house.
Lucky for you, there are several ways you can remodel your house in an energy-efficient way. Adopting these ways not only trims down your power bills but may also change your lifestyle.
Below are 5 of my handpicked methods you can use to remodel your house. Let’s dive in.
- First things first — remodel your habits
There are plenty of ideas to remodel an old house into a nature-friendly house that reduces your consumption of energy without cutting down on the quality of your life. But, there are also several habits you could consider changing and see significant improvement in your electricity bills. A lot of us keep the tap on and let the water flow in vain while we brush our teeth, and if we move to another room for a small duration, we tend to leave the AC on.
So, before we talk about remodeling components of your household, think about whether we need to change your habits first. If you leave unnecessary lights on throughout the house, or you let the water tap run while you’re brushing your teeth — it’s a good indication that you’re doing it wrong!
Consider changing your habits to something more energy efficient. Turn on the lights only in the room where you need them. Don’t waste the water. Don’t turn on the AC in every room; do it where you need it. For instance, you can turn on the AC in the living room during the day, and in the bedrooms during the night.
- Let the natural light come in
If you have a house that is well ventilated, you can save a lot on your electricity bills, because there will be less use of the light bulbs and lamps during the day. Ventilation does not only regulate the circulation of air in the house and keeps the temperature moderate, but it also lets natural light enter your house.
No matter how awesome your indoor lights are, they’re no match for the mighty sun’s natural illuminance. If your house is jam-packed and there are no airy windows, it’s time you consider remodeling it.
Get some windows installed which would let the natural light come in. Natural light not only makes your house feel fresh and bright, but it also saves you a lot of energy. Plus, the initial investment isn’t a lot either. You can get a few windows installed in your house for a pretty affordable cost.
Additionally, think about changing the siding of your house. For example, you could choose Vinyl siding, which is a cheap and attractive option for building energy-efficient houses. Vinyl also has the benefit of being thermally resistant, meaning that it can be used in warmer climates with little worry about heat getting through to your home
- Fix the air leaks
If you are getting a new house built, make sure that there are no cracks or crevices left, on the sides of the windows or doors, to let air pass through them. These cracks let air pass out, so if you have an AC switched on in your bedroom, to condition the air, the AC will have to work extra to do so, since a major part of the air that it will condition shall move out through the gaps.
If you have an old house, chances are, several holes or cracks may be letting the air leak out. It lets the conditioned air go out, which is a wasted resource then. Your conditioning system will keep drawing more energy to produce more conditioned air, which again, will keep leaking out.
These cracks could be present anywhere. From your wooden planked floor to your window panes — look everywhere. When you find and enlist all the leaks, get a professional’s help and take care of all of them. Try not to delay fixing these cracks, since the more you delay, the more money you shall be spending on unnecessarily consumed electricity.
- Rethink your bathroom and kitchen
You can’t neglect the bathroom and kitchen while rethinking your home; they are two of the most important rooms. Whether you’re listing your house for sale or just remodeling it to make it energy-efficient, working on your bathroom and kitchen is inevitable.
Speaking of the bathroom in our houses, most of us tend to ignore the leaking taps until the issue becomes aggravated and we start losing a lot of water. We do not tend to realize that even if a tap leaks small droplets of water all through the night, it can lose up to almost half a bucket of water. In a world where water scarcity is one of the biggest issues we are dealing with, and sociologists have suggested that the next World war might be for water, we must understand the severity of this issue and work towards fixing it.
There are numerous ways you can take power-efficient steps for these rooms. For instance, you could get an energy-efficient shower replacement, a low-flow showerhead for example. Always keep in mind that you want to lower your electricity bills so think about adding bathroom items that are energy saving.
- Upgrade the electrical panel
If you have a newer house, you can skip this one — but if your house is older than 20 years, keep reading. Your house’s electrical panel is like a “control center” of your electric system — but it’s often hidden away from your line of sight, preferably in the laundry or basement.
However, it can cause problems even there. Alongside being extremely energy-inefficient, outdated electrical panels also pose a serious threat to your safety and wellbeing. They can catch fire easily, which could result in financial damage or human loss.
A major reason for the ignorance of these electrical panels is that we do not see signs until the problem in the circuit has aggravated significantly. To solve this problem, one can choose to get the electricity panels of the house checked every year, especially before and after the rainy season.
If you’re noticing a strange “burning” smell in your basement or laundry, or your circuit board trips very often, now might be the time to get someone to check your electrical panel. More than likely, you’d have to get it replaced with a newer, updated version.
- Water heaters:
Almost all newly built homes have water heaters installed in their washrooms these days. Water heaters make our lives easy by providing us with hot water at any time of the day and without any wait. However, there is one aspect of these water heaters that we tend to ignore.
Most of the water heaters that provide us with hot water throughout the day, have to keep a stock of gallons of water heated at all times of the day. Once the water is heated the heater does not switch off, it still consumes energy to maintain the temperature of the water, so that when you need it you can be served with hot water. This means that water heaters consume heat all through the day.
So if one considers replacing their water heater with some other water heating device like an immersion rod, it will cost them some time, but they can save heavily on their electricity bills and also be helpful to nature.
- Indoor plants:
Apart from ventilation, there is another helpful hack that can let you enjoy fresh air in your house, at all times of the day, without consuming any kind of extra energy. You do not have to invest in extra fans or keep your air-conditioned artificially when you can do all of this naturally. Yes, we are talking about indoor plants. Indoor plants do not just enhance the Aura and Vibe of the house, they also purify the air and bring down the temperature.
One does not need to invest a fortune in these indoor plants. Most indoor plants come for very affordable prices and work wonders for your house. Also, if you’re someone who is fond of gardening, you might consider taking your love to the next level by investing in Indoor grow tents.
These indoor grow tents help you to grow your favorite plants at all times of the year, independent of the season. They help you create and maintain a suitable environment for these plants and you can enjoy them whenever you want. You can place these indoor plants in your dining room, living area, bedroom, and even in your office.
- Water filtration:
Water harvesting is a smart and nature-friendly hack to save and reuse water wherever necessary. Before we consider water harvesting, firstly we should try to cut down on the amount of water we waste. It does not need you to cut down on the water you consume. Once our habits are managed, we can start with water harvesting. The newly built homes have innovative water harvesting structures that do not require you to put in extra effort to harvest the rainwater.
In addition to a good water harvesting structure, you can also consider investing in a water filter. A good water filter converts regular or contaminated water into drinkable water. One could consider options like Aqua Water Filter, etc., that do not just convert contaminated water into drinkable water very efficiently, but also save a lot of energy as compared to the other water filters.
Key takeaways
Home remodeling becomes a necessity after several years of unaltered usage. However, remodeling doesn’t have to be super expensive; plus it can be very power-efficient for a brighter future. This article gives you a brief insight into the ways you can adopt to make your sweet home more energy-efficient.
If you have a house with old infrastructure, check for any cracks or crevices near the windows and doors. These cracks will let the conditioned air out, and your air conditioner will have to work extra hard and consume extra energy to maintain the temperature of the room. Also, before one gets started with home remodeling, one must inspect their habits and make changes wherever necessary.
Make sure you do not waste a lot of water while brushing your teeth and switch off the AC whenever you leave the house. You can invest in indoor plants that will enhance the vibe of your house and also purify the air. Indoor grow tents are also a smart investment for those who are fond of gardening. If you want to start rainwater harvesting, you must also consider investing in a good water filter, like the Aqua water filter that purifies the water and makes it drinkable, and also does not consume much energy.
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