1. Start with an Eco Audit to calculate your lifestyle’s carbon footprint which will show your next best steps to save energy and money, and how to change your behavior to reduce your carbon impact.
2. Then, get an Energy Audit. Evaluate how well your home is insulated and sealed, plus how well your heating and cooling systems are operating. Attic doors hidden in closet ceiling and recessed lighting give heat cracks to flow up and out. Many little leaks multiply to make a bit difference!
3. Manage your home’s temperature. Use a programmable thermostat so you use heat or cool air only when you need it. Turn your air conditioning up and your heat down a few degrees. Consider installing an evaporative cooler or whole house fan. Install insulated window covers that allow you to control how the sun shines in, heating or cooling your house. Install double or triple-paned window glass. You'll be surprised at how much energy you save.
4. Manage how you light your home. Replace light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps(CFL). Turn off lights when not in use. Use a timer to turn on outdoor and select indoor lights and adjust it as the time of sunset changes.
5. Manage your hot water production. Install a water heater timer and set it to turn off weekdays after everyone has had a shower, but leave it on all day during the weekend for laundry. Wrap your water heater in an insulation jacket and even insulate your hot water pipes.
6. Beware of phantom loads, appliances that are “on” even when they are off. Use switchable power plugs on TV’s and computer monitors. Turn off phantom loads when you go on vacation. Unplug that old garage refrigerator that you only need “sometimes”.
7. Make your appliances work for you, not waste for you. Purchase kitchen appliances and a front-loading clothes washer/dryer with an Energy Star rating. Replace any inefficient appliance over ten years old. Hang dry your clothes, especially if you use an electric dryer.
8. Do it yourself. Insulate attics to R-38, fix broken windows, seal and insulate ductwork and crawlspaces, seal air leaks around doors and windows, insulate crawl spaces and basements ceilings with blow-in insulation, repair or replace weather stripping. Install vapor retarders made of foam, foil or plastic between your home’s foundation and slab or earth.
9. Purchase renewable energy credits or wind power from your utility company.
10. Install a solar electric or hot water system to generate your own energy at home. Xcel Energy incentives and federal rebates reduce the total cost of a solar system by a huge percentage.
Conservation + Efficiency + Renewable Energy = Solution
Contributed by Bella Energy, empowering Colorado communities with the highest quality solar energy solutions since 1982. Contact Bella Energy to schedule your Eco Audit or Energy Audit and evaluate what solar system is best for you.