Trying to decrease your personal carbon footprint and use less energy in your home and personal life is a noble thing.
Trying to decrease your personal carbon footprint and use less energy in your home and personal life is a noble thing. Most people try to improve energy efficiency to better the environment or to save money on energy costs, or a combination. Whatever the reason, home is the best place to start. Read on for some simple ways you can use less energy in your new custom house.
Find Your Energy Suckers
Some appliances use energy even when they’re not in use or even turned on. A cord that is plugged in but not charging anything, for instance, can still be causing a low energy drain all day and night. Other things, like the coffee pot, suck energy even when they’re turned off. On top of that, many of us leave computers and laptops plugged in and even running when we’re not using them. All of the energy suckers are contributing to your energy use all day, everyday. Whenever possible, plug these things into a power strip and remember to flip it off when they’re not in use.
Use LEDs in Your Custom Home
LED lighting is one of the best ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home. They cost more up front, but the energy that you save over their years of use is massive. They also last longer than traditional bulbs (so you won’t replace them as often) and they give off almost no heat.
Upgrade Your Appliances in Your Custom Home
If you’ve got older appliances in your home for some reason, they are likely costing you in terms of energy use. Appliances become less efficient as they age, so they are naturally going to cost more in energy over the years. Older types of appliances, however, are also simply not designed to be as energy efficient as newer ones. Wherever you can, replace aging appliances with newer, more energy efficient models and you will see a tremendous difference in your energy consumption.
Change Your Cleaning Processes
You can also save energy by changing the way you handle certain cleaning tasks. When it comes to the dishes and the laundry, always do full loads. Even if you have newer appliances that can sense how full a load is, it takes less water and energy to do one large load than two small ones. When it comes to laundry, you can also save energy by washing in cold water, because it saves all of the energy that would otherwise go into heating the water.
Robin Ford can help you to build the custom home of your dreams!
With over 30 years of award-winning custom home building experience, Robin Ford and his team of expert craftsmen have earned a stellar reputation for their commitment to quality. Click here to learn more about our financing options and how we can help you find a home within your budget.
As an Indoor airPLUS Partner, ENERGY STAR® Partner, Certified Green Professional, and Maryland’s only proud member of the exclusive Southern Living Custom Builder Program –Robin Ford Building and Remodeling, Inc. is equipped to build you a home that your children’s children will want to own.
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