Here in the United States, the energy costs of the typical home can be quite high indeed. From your heating systems to your cooling systems and beyond, it’s not uncommon for energy costs to climb over the course of time. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that the average household can take to reduce these energy costs – and there is likely something that just about any household will be able to put into action.
For one thing, keeping the heating and cooling systems in any given home in good shape will be hugely beneficial, as the use of such systems typically make up more than half of the typical energy bill. Simply providing regular servicing and maintenance – ideally twice throughout the course of a year – can help to keep heating and cooling systems running efficiently and energy costs low. Taking such steps will also keep the quality of air as high as is possible as well.
After all, forgoing maintenance for ducted heating and cooling systems can cause a build up of contaminants in the duct work. Unfortunately, these contaminants can circulate throughout the air of any given home as many as seven times throughout the day – and typically no fewer than five times in total. For many people, this can cause difficulties such as asthma or allergies, especially in children and those who are susceptible to such concerns. The data even backs this up, showing that indoor air quality can be anywhere from two times dirtier to as much as five times dirtier than the quality of the air outside, a bit of information that some people might find quite surprising indeed. Simply changing your air conditioning system’s air filters at least once every three months, if not even more frequently than that, can help to keep your air quality good.
Of course, maintenance and servicing on a regular basis is hugely important – but there are also other steps that can be taken to reduce energy costs as well. If you’re really looking to cut energy costs, consider the installation of solar panels with the aid of solar companies. Solar companies have become more and more widespread, and now solar companies can be found all throughout the country – with even some solar companies beyond it as well. For many people, the installation services that solar companies provide will be well worth the cost. Not only are solar companies and their services more affordable than ever, but solar panels will ultimately save you a good deal on your energy costs, making solar companies more important than ever before, both here in the United States and in many other places all throughout the world as a whole as well.
You should also consider adding insulation to your attic, as insulation companies are quite commonplace throughout the country – likely even more so than solar companies. After all, up to one quarter of your home’s heat loss is likely to be occurring through your uninsulated attic space. Simply adding in properly installed insulation will actually reduce your heating and cooling costs alike by quite the considerable amount. In fact, some homes report a reduction in such costs by as much as 40%, which is certainly no small value, especially when you look at it over the course of time as the savings add up.
Even just installing a programmable thermostat can be quite effective at reducing energy costs. Over the course of a single year, home owners who choose to install a programmable thermostat are likely to save more than $150 (around $180, to be just a little bit more specific) over the course of a single year. And as this is such an easy step to take, most every household will be able to install such a programmable thermostat in their home, even if they aren’t yet able to take any larger steps towards a greater energy efficiency. For many people, starting small seems far less daunting than taking on a larger scale home renovation for the purposes of saving energy and every step counts.
