5 Ways to Conserve Energy Spending

Buying your first home is one of the most exciting experiences! When looking for a new place, there are a couple of things to keep in mind that could influence your decision such as size, interior layout, and location. Although these concepts are an important checklist when it comes to buying your first home, there is a secondary list that is just as important throughout this process. Managing utility and energy bills can be an adjustment when owning a home. Here are five ways to conserve energy so you can focus on enjoying your first home.

1. Manage Energy Costs

Before you make any changes to your home, it is essential to prepare for savings by creating a budget for your energy spending. What most people don’t know is that most electric and gas companies offer a budgeting billing program. Throughout this program, energy usage is spread out over a 12-month period and you are able to pay a set amount of money for your electric bill each month. At the end of the 12-month period you will receive a true-up statement where it shows you if you have a bill or credit pending on your account depending on how much energy you have used during the high peaks of the year such as summer and winter.

Make sure to look over your budget and prepare to set a reasonable amount apart for your utilities, including your electric bill. By setting this up prior to moving into your new home, you will be preparing yourself to become more self conscious on how you will be spending our energy. Make sure to contact your utility company to see if they offer a budgeting billing program that could help you set up for success when conserving energy.

2. Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

If your utility company does not offer a budgeting billing program, there are certainly other ways that you can conserve energy in your new home. One of the simplest ways of doing this is by replacing existing incandescent lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights.Not only do these light bulbs last up to 10-times longer, but they also use two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs. There are also different types of compact fluorescent light bulbs that you may come across with. In order to narrow down your options even more, make sure to use a 13-watt compact fluorescent in place of a 60-watt incandescent. This small difference can result in a $30 savings in energy costs over the life of one single bulb. Imagine the savings you can do with energy spending throughout all the bulbs around your entire home!

Another way to save energy that goes hand-in-hand with the type of light bulb you use is how mindful you are when using them. Make sure to turn the light bulbs of when leaving any of the rooms. You may also consider the installation of timers when it comes to little-used areas around your house such as laundry rooms, garages, and basements. The timer will automatically turn off the lights after a preset amount of time, making it incredibly helpful for you in case you forget to turn them off.

3. Install a Tankless Water Heater

Truth is that light bulbs are not the only objects that consume energy around your home. This is especially the case if your new home will include a water heater. If this is your case, you may opt to installing a tankless water heater instead of staying with a conventional one. Tankless water heaters are ideal because they instantaneously provide hot water for you when needed. The way it works is that a gas burner or an electric element heats the cold water as it travels through the pipes. As a result, tankless water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. In contrast, traditional storage water heaters spend more energy because you have to wait for the storage tank to fill up with enough hot water before you can actually have access to it.

In order to also optimize energy costs when it comes to your water heater, make sure to reduce the temperature by setting it from the common 140 degrees to a more adequate 120 degrees. You may also wrap the hot water pipes in insulating material to save on heat loss. By applying these tactics when it comes to your water heater, you can save from $12 to $30 a year for each 10-degree reduction in temperature in energy costs of your new home.

4. Conserve Water

Now that you have an optimized way of having hot water in your home while saving on energy costs, another method that can be adopted in order to save even more is by implementing low-flow fixtures around your home. The reason of why it is necessary to install these fixtures is because low-flow fixtures help you conserve water. Low-flow water fixtures are sink faucets, shower heads, and toilets that use less water per minute than older, traditional models. The way that low-flow water fixtures conserve water by using a high-pressure technique to produce a strong or equal flow of water with less water than other less-efficient fixtures.

If you do decide to install low-flow shower heads around your home, know that many come in different flow rates, according to your preference.. Some of them even have a pause button that you may use which shuts off the water while you lather up. Low-flow toilets are also a great choice when conserving energy because by replacing an older 3.5-gallon toilet with a modern, low-flow 1.6-gallon toilet, you could potentially be saving 12,000 gallons of water per year.

Once these installments have been made, be sure to replace faucets that drip, fix toilets that leak as time goes by in your new home. Also make sure to turn off the spigot when brushing your teeth or scrubbing dishes.

5. Install a complete Home Water Purifier

The one component that will ultimately ensure to help you conserve energy spending once all of the above is done is by installing a complete home water purifier in your new home. When you install a Guardian Water Filtration system, it will pay for itself with the money you will save. Soft water removes the limescale build up that can block water flow in your pipes, therefore increasing the functionality of your plumbing systems.

With the Guardian Water Filtration System, your tankless water heater will run efficiently of soft water, saving you even more money directly on your monthly energy bill. Appliances that rely on running water will also last longer meaning that they won’t need to be replaced as often as when they run on hard water. There are also other ways to cut costs that are as easy as getting water from the tap with this filtration system. Fact is that the average American family size of four spend on average $146 to $289 weekly on groceries. Annually, these families will waste $1,290 on cleaning supplies, and $400 on disposable water bottles. When we think about conserving energy spending, this money can be allocated to your energy budgeting billing program since you would be saving on cleaning supplies and disposable water bottles through this complete home water purifier.

Being a new homeowner can be a lifestyle adjustment. There are certain things you have to start paying attention to that can heavily affect your finances. Don’t be afraid to make a few major investments that will benefit you and your home in the long run. Improving the quality of your home’s water will not only save you money, but can benefit the lifespan of your appliances, plumbing system and even your health. Schedule your free in-home water quality test today to find out how a water purifier can benefit you and your new home.