Homeowners are increasingly being urged to "go green" and be mindful of how they use energy in their homes to avoid impacting the environment. As oil and gas prices skyrocket, however, the benefit of a cleaner planet also begins to merge with simply saving money and increasing your energy efficiency. Indeed, the two seem to go hand in hand as homeowners search for large and small ways to increase their home's energy efficiency.
Home Energy Efficiency Categories
Home energy use can be broken into large energy use categories such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (or "HVAC") and smaller categories, such as lighting. Together, all these categories need to be addressed in order to make a home totally efficient. But even small steps can provide immediate and considerable efficiency gains.
Some of the largest users of energy in any home are the heating and cooling units. While these vary among several types, and they are used in dramatically different ways in different parts of the country, it can be assumed that heating and cooling alone will account for an average of about 50 less energy over their lifetime. Running major appliances like dishwashers and washing machines which require both a lot of electricity and hot water can be a large drain on any effort to increase efficiency. Research if your utility company offers any special discounts for the time of the day they supply electricity. If so, see if you can benefit from running these appliances at those times, such as at night or early morning to avoid the peak time of day.
On The Efficiency Horizon
Technology has provided some truly substantial gains in the efficient use of energy. New HVAC systems can offer dramatic reductions in energy use. Often, these units do cost more at their purchase, but quickly offer savings that pay for the additional cost over time. Many utilities will offer rebates, discounts and assistance programs to consumers who employ devices such as solar water heaters, high-efficiency HVAC systems and other new offerings. Some will even pay for you to replace your lighting with high efficiency fluorescent or LED units.
Along with this new technology come some new challenges. The increasing sophistication of new HVAC systems does require special maintenance and knowledge of how they work. Technicians at Air Now are specially trained on the intricacies of each type of new HVAC system and their maintenance. And as these new, efficient HVAC systems are installed, we become increasingly dependant on them. In the event that malfunction, or worse, failure, expert technical service is not only required, it is essential and must be quick.
Your Own Efficiency
As you, and technology, strive to make your home more efficient, keep in mind that each step, no matter how small, contributes to the overall efficiency of your home. And you don't have to go it alone. The professionals at Air Now have much experience in how to integrate new technologies to achieve your home's maximum energy efficiency. Moreover, we will always be there to assist in maintaining, servicing and repairing your home energy systems so that you can simply rely on them.
What with soaring energy and fuel costs, energy efficiency in your home is more important today than ever before. That is why, when homeowners reach the point where it is necessary to replace windows for any reason, I highly recommend they choose energy efficient replacement aluminum windows. Aluminum replacement windows can appreciably influence the cost of heating and cooling a home.
Of course, I realize everyone wants his or her home to be beautiful. Yes, often the more energy efficient windows are not your most visually pleasing option, and these windows are also more expensive upfront than other choices. However, overall savings over the lifetime of these windows in energy costs will more than return your investment. Remember that you will only pay the price of the windows once, but it is possible for energy prices to keep rising and costing you.
Lower heating and cooling bills are not the only benefits from installing aluminum replacement windows. In 1989, Jan Fenhaus of Eugene, Oregon added an extension to her ranch-style home that used all wood-framed windows.
"Since then," she writes, "I developed multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). I became very sick and was unable to work; my life was miserable. After many months of suffering, while doing some research into MCS, I discovered that the wood frames of the new windows had been treated with water repellants and fungicidal chemicals which some people react to. I took out a home equity loan and had all the wood windows in the house removed. They were replaced with new aluminum windows, which I was told are the best for sensitive people. Within days of moving back in," Jan told us, "the headaches and nausea cleared up and now I am 100% recovered"
Now think about the reason you want replacement windows. Is it because your old windows are drafty, old and let so much outside air in your house? If the decision to replace has anything to do with energy consumption, then you would be making a mistake not to look for the more energy efficient windows available.
Both Chloe Comfort & Carlo Morelli are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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