Everybody wants to save money. After all, the more you save, the more more you have. And the more you have, the better you can live.
The question is: How?
If you’re paying attention to the experts, you’re probably paying less for heating, cooling and overall energy than your neighbors–because pretty much all the experts list energy efficient home improvements as one of the best ways to save money.
Here’s a look at five easy ways to save money by making your home more energy efficient:
1) Double up your panes
When it comes to saving money on your energy bills, few household improvements will be as effective as installing double-pane windows.
According to an expert from Canada (where the weather can get extremely cold), double-pane windows can reduce your energy consumption by about 24 percent.
That might not sound like much, but over the course of an entire year, it can actually add up to hundreds of dollars (depending on where you live).
2) Invest in insulation
If you’ve got an attic, it might be time to take a good, hard look at its insulation situation–because there’s a good chance there’s not enough of it.
Insulation helps keep energy costs lower by keeping the cool air in during the warm summer months and the cold air out during the cold winter and fall months.
And it’s actually relatively inexpensive.
So take a trip up to your attic and make sure that it is adequately insulated. If it’s not, add a little insulation and you could wind up saving an awful lot on your monthly heating and cooling bills.
3) Take a look at tankless water heaters
Not all water heaters are created equal.
Some are designed to store and heat water on an ongoing basis. They cost a little less, initially, but actually wind up costing you more in monthly energy bills over the long-haul.
Then there are those that are tankless. They provide hot water on demand, and only when you need it. This means they don’t waste a lot of energy (and your hard-earned money) heating water that will never actually be used.
If you are serious about saving money on your energy bills, take a long, hard look at tankless water heaters.
4) Patch your plumbing
If you hear or see a slow drip, drip, dripping leak from a faucet, you might as well be watching your money make its way down the drain. Because every drip of water that is wasted is reflected in your monthly water bill.
According to some estimates, one tiny leak in a water faucet can cost you up to $35 (and waste about 1,500 gallons of water a year).
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that many leaks are relatively easy to fix. All you have to do is find them and then connect with a plumber who can come in and take care of them for you.
Or, if you’re handy, you might even be able to patch the plumbing yourself. Either way, you’ll be saving yourself as well as the environment.
5) Select solar power
Imagine harnessing the power of the sun for all your energy needs over the next quarter century or so. Every day the sun shines on your neighborhood is another day you’re saving money on your heating and cooling costs.
It’s possible–but only if you select solar power.
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when solar power wasn’t a practical choice, but that’s no longer the case.
Today, you don’t have to imagine it–you only need to invest in the up-front costs (which average about $9,000) and then reap the rewards over the next 20 to 25 years.
And those rewards typically exceed $28,000.
Not a bad return on your investment.
Ready to get started?
Most everyone wants to save money. If you’re among them–and you know you are, you can’t go wrong with investing in energy efficient home improvements.
Consider the five listed above (along with many others) and you just might qualify for innovative financing to help make them a reality.
Don’t wait. Invest in energy efficient home improvements today and start saving money tomorrow.
photo credit: Jose Luis RDS Pirámide solar via photopin (license)