A home energy audit can identify the best strategies for saving energy at home. Ask your home energy efficiency professional about conducting a blower door test to reveal sources of air leakage, which is a major driver of energy costs.
Insulating attics, floors and crawlspaces, air-sealing, and upgrading old HVAC equipment are often the most effective home energy investments. Replace electric resistance heaters (i.e., baseboard heaters) or furnaces with high efficiency heat pumps for long-term savings.
Avoid unvented gas appliances, such as propane space heaters, because they emit harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, contributing to asthma and other health risks.
Consider installing storm windows before investing in replacement windows, and look for high-efficiency, high quality, Energy Star rated windows and doors.
Always look for high-efficiency, Energy Star models when purchasing new appliances of any kind. Energy Star covers a wide range of options. So, look for the most efficient models.
• Contact your local electric utility or one of the organizations below to learn more about incentives and programs to assist homeowners, renters, farms and businesses to save energy and lower their bills. The Federal Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, has created numerous new incentives for improving residential energy efficiency.
Limit showering time and only wash full loads of clothing and dishes.
Repair leaking toilets, faucets, and hoses. A leaky toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water per day.
• Sewer bills in urban areas are typically calculated based on water usage. Reducing water usage can also reduce municipal sewer charges.
Minimize outdoor irrigation. Avoid watering your lawn or convert your lawn to native landscaping that does not require irrigation.
Aerated show and sink heads can reduce water consumption and thereby reduce hot water demand as well.