How to be more energy efficient in the New Year

A new year is upon us and it is filled with opportunities to be more energy-efficient than the year before. A great New Year’s resolution to aim for in 2020 is to be as energy-efficient as possible. This resolution will benefit both your energy bills and bank account, as well as the environment. This win-win situation that will ensure a brighter future for many generations to come.

Saving energy is so important and a few easy changes can make a real difference. In the list below, we have compiled six simple energy-saving related tips to help you stick to a more energy-efficient year ahead:

Get a Domestic Energy Performance Certificate

A domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a certificate which details the energy efficiency rating of a domestic property. As well as being a legal requirement for when any house or flat is built, sold or let, an energy performance certificate is a great way to assess your property’s energy efficiency and receive recommendations on how to lower your energy usage.

When a property undergoes a domestic EPC assessment a variety of features of the property are examined, such as: what the property is constructed from, which heating systems are in place, as well as any cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems.

An Energy Performance Certificate includes recommendations for improvements to make a building more energy-efficient. Conducting these recommendations will not only save you energy but if you are selling your property, it can push up your property’s value and make it even more marketable too.

Upgrade Your Lightbulbs

Lightbulbs are an essential part of every room in a home and are used regularly. Therefore, your choice in lightbulbs is very important when it comes to energy-efficiency. Traditional incandescent lightbulbs use a lot of energy to produce light – and a massive 90% of that energy is given off as wasted heat energy. Switching out any incandescent lightbulbs in your home for energy-efficient LED bulbs will significantly drop your energy costs each month. This is one of the easiest energy-efficiency tips to carry out as all it involves is simply changing the light bulbs in your home. And although the initial cost of the LED bulbs may be high, they will more than make up these costs in the energy they will save over time.

Use Energy-Efficient Appliances

The beginning of the year is a great time to make big purchases. Retailers tend to slash prices after the holidays so it is the perfect time to look out for great deals on appliances. Always check the Energy Star level and energy rating of the appliance you are purchasing to ensure effective energy efficiency. Energy Star is the trusted symbol for energy efficiency to help us all make smart decisions when purchasing appliances. Using energy-efficient appliances will save money and protect the environment.

Install Smart Home Devices

Smart home devices are helpful gadgets that are designed to make life at home more convenient. Many of these devices are also helpful in improving energy efficiency at home. Installing a few smart home devices in your property within the next year is an investment that will improve both your home life and your energy bills. A great device to start with is a programmable thermostat. With their increased and easy control over your home’s temperature at all times, programmable thermostats can drastically reduce your energy usage.

Turn Off Appliances at The Wall

Many appliances still consume energy even when they are turned off. If an appliance is still plugged in there is a chance it is still draining power – which will result in wasted energy usage. To prevent this unnecessary wastage, invest in power strips so that multiple appliances conveniently be turned off at once.

Sticking to New Year’s resolutions can be tough – but these energy-efficiency tips are so simple to do it won’t be difficult to commit to living a greener lifestyle for the year, and in return, you will save a significant amount of money on energy bills.