How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient

In the fight against climate change, a sustainable house is one of the most impactful things you can do. However, this doesn’t just mean reducing your waste and using plastic-free alternatives. Creating a sustainable home also means increasing your energy efficiency. Here’s what you need to know.  

Climate Control Systems 

Most homes often use heating solutions that rely on fossil fuels like gasoline or oil. Fortunately, there are multiple alternatives that are better for the environment and your electricity bill! Investing in a heat pump, especially a geothermal one, would greatly reduce your house’s consumption of fossil fuels during cold weather. While heat pumps aren’t cheap, many heat pumps are multi-purpose devices that can be a large bargain for some homeowners. Some heat pumps can cool your home during hot weather as it recycles hot and cold air. Additionally, some heat pumps can also function as water heaters, which eliminates the need to purchase a separate water heater and cooling system as well. To learn more about heat pumps, read our article here.  

Alternative Power Sources 

Solar panels installed on rooftops are becoming more and more commonplace in suburban housing. A lot of state and local governments support major tax incentives to houses that have them installed, which can slash your electricity bill in half in some cases.  

While solar panels are a great external energy source, there are other local energy sources that work alongside your state’s power grid. Geothermal energy is not so much a rarity, especially in geological areas that generate a lot of heat underground. Certain renewable energy sources can also be legitimate alternatives to fossil fuels, such as hydroelectricity for households nearby a large body of water.  

Of course, combining different renewable energy sources is the smartest method to minimize your household’s reliance on fossil fuels, rendering the transition towards renewable all the more seamless. 

Insulation 

Many houses in the US do not have insulation installed, with 90% of single-family household units in 2015 being considered insufficiently insulated. Insulation is a passive form of heat regulation that absorbs heat from the hot weather during the summer and keeps your house warm during the winter. There are multiple types of insulation, which varies depending on the location of your house and it’s architecture. If you’re in the Midwest, you would likely have a different insulation system than a house in the Northeast due to the different climate. Household owners can receive tax incentives to reduce the cost of installation depending on the state or municipality in which they live.  

Electrification 

American households emit nearly 1 billion tons of CO2 per year from home heating and cooking equipment. Electrifying your house can help combat this. Electrification is the removal of individual gasoline pipes connected to residential houses. Gasoline pipes are used for stovetops, ovens, furnaces, dryers, and water heaters.  

Mass adoption of electrification is pivotal to developing a sustainable community, so we encourage petitioning your local government to embrace this policy. Until then, you can electrify your own house by investing in electric stovetops, ovens, furnaces, dryers, and water heaters (which could also be your heat pump!).  

You can also check out the tax credits and rebates initiated by the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act that could help cut your electrification costs while saving you thousands on your electricity bill.   

With electrification, solar panel and heat pump installation, and insulation, your house will become considerably more energy efficient and better equipped for a greener future!