Here is a step-by-step plan to work and customize your own plan of action for energy and cost saving in and around YOUR OWN HOME
- Educate, enable and empower yourself by learning as much as you can about your house, energy, savings to be had and efficiencies. Continue your learning and on-going search for knowledge!
- IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT AND QUANTIFY how, when and why your home used, loses and wastes energy.
- Test, assess and audit your home, whether through a personal in-person, walk-about and around, survey, inspections or third party provider experts, niche services that can assist you in your efforts and improvements, strengths and weaknesses in your home. After ascertaining how much energy and dollars are being wasted, and where you need to apply your attention and resources where they will give you the biggest bang for your buck!
- If you baseline and measure, collect data, track and find evidence, you are more likely to be able to assess a monetary value, risk, damage and waste-figure to things, rather than vague ideas or speculation. This makes it much easier to actually go ahead and do something about it. You need to find the various sources of energy leakage, seepage or waste. This will help you find ways to cut your utility bills and not pay more than you should have to.
- Pick the best and most suitable solutions for your circumstance, problem, budget and urgency. Find out about viable, feasible and affordable options, actions and interventions that you can undertake to get the problems and issues resolved. Opt for solutions NOT just products and advertisement, look at functionality, effectiveness, price and testimonials from those who install and use, even benefit from them. This is a good barometer of value and efficiency, applicability for your situation and home, all in one easy clean-sweep.
- Air pressure and outer structure, integrity and air-flow throughout your house are very important. Weigh and assess both the interior and exterior of your house to determine the efficiencies and defects and act accordingly. Prioritize what has to be done and focus on current, future performance and improvement, gaps and repairs, maintenance priorities and what is most pressing FIRST.
- Energy efficient appliances and upgrade, new heating, ventilation and A/C might all go a long way to get your house better prepared for energy savings and efficiencies. Furnace, water heater or refrigerators might actually save you money in the long run if you replace them now. It will be worth the investment. Lots of utilities offer special programs, financing and rebates to make the easier on homeowners while encouraging the right type of behaviors and actions for responsible use, consumption and even conserving of energy and resources.
- Making the best use of electricity through thermostats, wireless controlled, programmable systems go a long way to effectively handle lighting and cooling or heating in your home. Dimmer and occupancy censors all contribute too, as do low-energy light-bulbs.
- Track the progress and performance of your home throughout. Stay on top of slippage or changes in usage, it might indicate a problem beginning or be a symptom of something more serious. Fresh airflow and ventilation for example are oftentimes overlooked.
- Credits, incentives and rebates for energy-efficient improvements are at your disposal too. Take full advantage of these and other such programs and initiatives in your local area.
- Regular and consistent check-ups and check-ins on your total home system and its separate parts. Annual maintenance, repair, cleaning are all part of pride of ownership, responsible home-owners pleasure and addressing issues sooner rather than later, will all serve your purpose and plan better.
- Ensure and protect that you home is at its optimal, providing ultimate comfort for you and your family, without waste or excessive costs to worry about.
- You could also consider a HERS (home energy rating system) report and EEM (Energy Efficiency Mortgage). This is a unique way to refinance your improvements, renovations or upgrades. The report will provide and overall score for your total home system make recommendations about what to do or consider, for cost-effective energy upgrades, and more…
- Estimates of the cost
- What annual savings you might be able to actualize
- Usefulness and life of upgrades (projected/estimated)
- It will show you the results and improve rating score if you follow the recommended upgrades suggested in the report
- It will also provide you with useful metrics before and after upgrades for comparison purposes
- The higher the score on these type reports the better and more energy efficient the home (the more likely you will be to get the financing in all likelihood)
- Pick the upgrades that will save you the most money in the short, medium and long term.
- Balance the value and reward with the cost; it should save you more than what it costs to put it into your home!
- Cost for these types of services and reports vary by provider, area and type of service. Ranges are between: $100 and $300.
- IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT AND QUANTIFY how, when and why your home used, loses and wastes energy.
- Test, assess and audit your home, whether through a personal in-person, walk-about and around, survey, inspections or third party provider experts, niche services that can assist you in your efforts and improvements, strengths and weaknesses in your home. After ascertaining how much energy and dollars are being wasted, and where you need to apply your attention and resources where they will give you the biggest bang for your buck!
- If you baseline and measure, collect data, track and find evidence, you are more likely to be able to assess a monetary value, risk, damage and waste-figure to things, rather than vague ideas or speculation. This makes it much easier to actually go ahead and do something about it. You need to find the various sources of energy leakage, seepage or waste. This will help you find ways to cut your utility bills and not pay more than you should have to.
- Pick the best and most suitable solutions for your circumstance, problem, budget and urgency. Find out about viable, feasible and affordable options, actions and interventions that you can undertake to get the problems and issues resolved. Opt for solutions NOT just products and advertisement, look at functionality, effectiveness, price and testimonials from those who install and use, even benefit from them. This is a good barometer of value and efficiency, applicability for your situation and home, all in one easy clean-sweep.
- Air pressure and outer structure, integrity and air-flow throughout your house are very important. Weigh and assess both the interior and exterior of your house to determine the efficiencies and defects and act accordingly. Prioritize what has to be done and focus on current, future performance and improvement, gaps and repairs, maintenance priorities and what is most pressing FIRST.
- Energy efficient appliances and upgrade, new heating, ventilation and A/C might all go a long way to get your house better prepared for energy savings and efficiencies. Furnace, water heater or refrigerators might actually save you money in the long run if you replace them now. It will be worth the investment. Lots of utilities offer special programs, financing and rebates to make the easier on homeowners while encouraging the right type of behaviors and actions for responsible use, consumption and even conserving of energy and resources.
- Making the best use of electricity through thermostats, wireless controlled, programmable systems go a long way to effectively handle lighting and cooling or heating in your home. Dimmer and occupancy censors all contribute too, as do low-energy light-bulbs.
- Track the progress and performance of your home throughout. Stay on top of slippage or changes in usage, it might indicate a problem beginning or be a symptom of something more serious. Fresh airflow and ventilation for example are oftentimes overlooked.
- Credits, incentives and rebates for energy-efficient improvements are at your disposal too. Take full advantage of these and other such programs and initiatives in your local area.
- Regular and consistent check-ups and check-ins on your total home system and its separate parts. Annual maintenance, repair, cleaning are all part of pride of ownership, responsible home-owners pleasure and addressing issues sooner rather than later, will all serve your purpose and plan better.
- Ensure and protect that you home is at its optimal, providing ultimate comfort for you and your family, without waste or excessive costs to worry about.
- You could also consider a HERS (home energy rating system) report and EEM (Energy Efficiency Mortgage). This is a unique way to refinance your improvements, renovations or upgrades. The report will provide and overall score for your total home system make recommendations about what to do or consider, for cost-effective energy upgrades, and more…
- Estimates of the cost
- What annual savings you might be able to actualize
- Usefulness and life of upgrades (projected/estimated)
- It will show you the results and improve rating score if you follow the recommended upgrades suggested in the report
- It will also provide you with useful metrics before and after upgrades for comparison purposes
- The higher the score on these type reports the better and more energy efficient the home (the more likely you will be to get the financing in all likelihood)
- Pick the upgrades that will save you the most money in the short, medium and long term.
- Balance the value and reward with the cost; it should save you more than what it costs to put it into your home!
- Cost for these types of services and reports vary by provider, area and type of service. Ranges are between: $100 and $300.
posted by Nadim at 5:17 AM
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