Our DIY Guide to Giving Your Hale an Energy Makeover
Everybody likes saving money, right? Of course they do! This week, WikiWiki Solar and Electric is here to give you a few tips on how to give your home an energy audit and makeover so that you can get the most out of your electricity, and to cut down on potential waste to maximize your energy returns.
First off, check out your bill!
Although most utility bills don’t break down your energy consumption rates by category, you first want to get a good idea of where your household’s overall energy usage is at. Having a baseline allows you to get a better sense of just how much energy your household is consuming on a regular basis, and give you a starting point with which to work from.
Check for and seal off potential airflow leaks
As we covered in previous blogs, electricity is expensive here on Maui (which, by the way, there’s never been a better time to invest in the life-affirming power and savings of solar energy!). You don’t want to have your cooling costs working against you because all that cool air is literally running right out the door. Check along the baseboards and all your windows and doors for potential gaps and spaces for leakage, paying particular attention that your fixtures can caulk or seal off tightly. Energy.gov has generated a handy list of places for you to look, along with several tips and tricks to optimize your home for maximum energy efficiency.
Inspect your heating and cooling apparatuses
Have you been replacing the air filters in your home cooling system? We sure hope so. Dirt and grime can severely lower the output power on your air conditioning and cooling systems, sending your energy costs through the roof without much to show for it. Also, consider replacing any equipment that is over 15-20 years old, as the cost savings you’d realize on a newer system would likely pay for themselves!
Are you on board with LED lighting?
In a previous blog, we covered how LED lighting can be both an aesthetic and an energy-saving boon to your home or business, owing to efficient design and beautiful illumination. Recall that LED lighting was designed to be more energy-efficient, which can really add up when we consider that lighting costs typically amount for 10-20% of your electricity bill, standing out as a major area for improvement and potential increases to your savings (and they sure do look smart!).
The little things all add up
Seeing as how we live in a gadget-obsessed era, don’t discount all the gizmos and doohickeys that we tend to leave plugged in 24/7 as a serious contributor to your monthly energy pains. Make sure you unplug any items not currently in use to avoid the phantom tolls they can take on your energy consumption, along with making sure you are up-to-date with utilizing energy-efficient models that can also modulate their rate of consumption and/or charging.
