7 Energy-Efficient Home Design Ideas
Did you know that our homes use up a lot of energy that could easily be saved? Did you know that by making a few changes, you could enhance the environment while also saving on energy costs?
This is why many homeowners are turning their attention toward home design ideas that focus on energy efficiency.
Not sure where to start? We’ve put together the following list to guide you through all the top changes you can make to your home with very little effort. Check them out down below!
1. Upgrade Windows
Energy efficient window replacement is one of the best things you can do for your home’s environmental efforts. Windows are important for regulating the temperature of your home. If your windows don’t have energy efficiency in mind, you could be using up a lot of extra energy to offset the difference.
Energy-efficient windows come with extra layers of protection to prevent temperature fluctuations.
Another attractive and useful idea is to tint your windows. This gives you more privacy from the outside world and extra temperature control. It also stops harmful UV rays from damaging your home’s interior.
Plus, the window installation process will give you a chance to repair any potential damages or leaks in the window frames and seals.
2. Install Ceiling Fans
Running your AC at all hours of the day makes you feel comfortable during those hot summer months, but at what cost? There are less energy-consuming ways to cool down your entire house.
Ceiling fans are the unsung heroes of home temperature regulation.
A single large ceiling fan can make a huge difference in cooling down a room and it takes far less energy to run. You don’t have to give up your AC all the time to notice that difference. Switch between the two as necessary and soon your utility bill will be easy on your budget.
Another great benefit of installing a ceiling fan is the fact that they’re much quieter than an AC machine. Perfect for rooms where silence is much preferred!
3. Check Insulation
When was the last time you checked on your home’s insulation? Has it been more than a year?
Insulation is a vital part of your home’s passive heating and cooling systems. Without good insulation, the outside temperatures influence your home more than normal. To compensate, you’ll need to run your heating and cooling systems for longer and at more extreme temperatures.
This not only costs more money but also uses up a lot of excess energy.
The best thing to do is to check your insulation at least once a year. Add easy access ports into your home design so that this process is effortless!
4. Replace Lightbulbs
The wrong type of lightbulb in your lighting fixtures can eat up a lot of energy without you even noticing. Even an hour of usage from the wrong type of bulb can increase your energy consumption by a large margin when compared to other types of bulbs.
The good news is that switching your lightbulbs to energy-efficient ones is one of the easiest home upgrades.
Most lamps have no problem working no matter what type of bulb you use. Make sure to go through and switch all of your bulbs to greener options. LED bulbs and CFL bulbs are the best of the best when it comes to using up as little energy as possible.
5. Add Smart Technology
Do you tend to leave your heating or cooling systems running all day while you’re at work? Do you want to be welcomed home in comfortable temperatures but want to do it in a better way?
This is where smart technology comes to the rescue.
With a smart cooling system, you can set a time from which the system will turn on. Putting it on 30 minutes before you arrive home will give the house enough time to cool down without wasting energy while no one is home. Some smart systems even let you turn things on remotely, letting you have ultimate control.
This way ensures that you only ever use up the energy when it’s needed!
6. Establish External Shade
One of the best home design tips to help with energy costs is to think about external shade. Trees and awnings provide a lot of natural shade that’ll go a long way in keeping your home cooler in the summer.
Once these features are in place, they work without using any extra energy. This passive cooling is an easy way to cut AC costs during the summer and gives your home a new kind of curb appeal.
The great thing is that this focus on the external areas of your home gives you plenty of opportunities for new landscaping designs!
7. Incorporate Solar Power
Solar power is a versatile and useful upgrade that can no longer be ignored. Many homeowners tend to feel worried about using solar power since it can seem overwhelming and confusing at first.
With help from a professional service, it’ll be far easier than you think to install it.
Solar power is a great supplement to your regular energy utilities. You’ll have more control over when you use power from the grid and when you use power from your solar panels.
Making a full switch isn’t necessary to see the benefits of adding solar power to your home. Even using solar power a fraction of the time can make a huge difference to both your energy efficiency and your energy costs.
It may cost more upfront to install solar panels into your home, but the effort will be worth it soon enough!
Use These Home Design Ideas to Make Your Home as Efficient as Possible
By implementing these home design ideas, you’ll soon find that your home is more energy-efficient than ever before. This will lower your impact on the environment and help the world thrive.
Plus, these efforts will lower your utility bill by a large margin. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!
Looking for more ways to improve your home? Check out the rest of our Lifestyle section. We have many more tips, tricks, and advice to help you every step of the way!
