Home Renovations That Help Florida Home Owners to Save on Energy Bills

Save on Your Energy Bill

Energy bills can get very high as your home ages. The windows could be leaking air and your heating system may be working too hard. There are a few renovations you will learn about here to address those issues and more.

Add windows to a room to help heat it. They have to be put on the south wall of the room for the best effect. The glass type you choose can help you to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, too, because it keeps them from getting warm or cool air through. Energy-efficient windows should be your best bet if you want to avoid condensation, especially if you have them installed in an area like your bathroom. Wood can deteriorate if there isn’t enough insulation due to the humidity that can build up in the room.

Try planting trees around your home that you can use for shade. Some shrubs get large enough to do the job, too. You should plant what you can on the west side of your home, because then during the summer you can expect the leaves to keep radiation away from your home. You can’t block every ray of sunlight, but you can keep a lot of it at bay. This can also be used to make your home look nice from the outside, as long as you pick nice options that can thrive in the Florida weather.

A furnace that is old may cost you a lot more than it should. For instance, a unit that was made in the early 90s that uses a standing pilot is known to waste 35% or more of its fuel. There are different furnace types that you can go with, but for the most part, you’ll be able to get something that works better if you just go with whatever is new. Don’t forget to change air filters and keep up with your furnace’s maintenance if you want it to be able to last you a long time.

Florida is a sunny place most of the year. You can take advantage of that if you get solar panels installed so you have a system that is powered partially by the sun. If you store the extra energy in batteries, you can easily have enough power to barely use your electrical system. Of course, you’ll still need traditional electricity for parts of your home, especially if you can’t get enough panels to run everything all the time. Do the math to find out if this is a good investment or if you should try something else instead of this.

Clean your gutters and while you’re at it you can see if there are any signs of structural damage. When it has been rainy, you may want to see if there are any leaks or if you notice any other issues that could be expensive if they are not taken care of. You may not realize it, but if the water is not diverted to areas away from your house, it can cause flooding and other expensive problems. You need to clean gutters out on a regular basis, or you can pay someone else to do it if you want to save time and money.

A house has ducts that will leak hot or cold air right into your basement, attic, or any crawlspace. If you want to cut down on HVAC costs by up to 30%, then you need to wrap your air ducts with insulation and seal the seams. Duct tape is not really the best way to get this job done, by the way. You should have a professional help you so you can get lasting work done instead of putting together a solution yourself that may not stand up to the test of time.

A new water heater is one thing you can invest in if you want to save money. You can expect to pay thousands less on electricity but only if you get a high-efficiency unit. They make solar, gas, and electric options which all have their pros and cons. One option that you should look into is a tankless water heater if you have a small home that barely needs to use hot water. That way, you don’t have to worry about it kicking on all the time because it only heats water when it’s used. In a home with a lot of water usage, however, you’ll want to avoid this option.

You can install a humidistat that will turn on the bathroom fan automatically when there’s too much moisture in the air. When someone takes a hot shower, for example, it can cause mold to grow due to the moisture in the air. You cannot expect your kids or family to always remember to use the fan, anyways, so this is a better solution than having to worry about it constantly. In Florida, it can be very humid but you may not want to have the fans on in your bathroom all the time because of the money it can cost you.

Different fixtures in your home can be upgraded to low flow versions. Faucets that don’t use more water than you need them to will save you a lot of money every year. In some cases, it can cut down your energy bills as much as around $150 per year. Just by doing little things like this kind of upgrade, you will eventually get to a point where you don’t have to pay much at all in bills. The money you save can be used for more renovations and they will pay for themselves if you look at the long term savings.

You can save money on energy costs if you are willing to renovate your home the right way. The different ideas you were presented here should work out well in that regard. Try finding assistance if you are not aware of how to properly renovate your home.