Energy saving secrets

Building an energy-efficient home is extremely beneficial. We all know about the positive effects on the environment, but it can also save you significant money by lowering your day-to-day running costs. Here’s a rundown of some of the things you can do to make your home more energy efficient.

Window Treatments

Window treatments offer several benefits that come with each aspect:

• Light control: Allows you to decide how much sunlight enters (e.g. plenty of natural light while you work, or darkness during a sleep-in or nap), offers privacy when you need it, and protection from UV rays.
• Temperature control: This traps heat at the window, insulating your home to keep you cool in summer and warm during winter. It prevents overheating, offers reduced condensation, a comfortable environment, and reduces your energy bills.

Types of Residential Window Treatments

• Drapery: Drapery and curtains are great insulators which stop heat from escaping through the window. Neutral colours with white insulating linings can reduce heat gains by 33%.
• Shades: Honeycomb pleated shades are the most energy-efficient shades you can buy. They help increase insulation and can help reduce heat gains by up to 45%.
• Shutters and blinds: An energy-saving blind with a reflective lining can reduce heat gain by around 45%. Shutters made of advanced polymer are incredibly energy efficient and reduce heat loss by 30 degrees.
• Window films: An inexpensive upgrade to the existing glass, they provide shade, safety and an upgraded look. They’re great at preventing UV rays, acting like a sunscreen while regulating heat and light.
• Awnings and overhangs: Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing and 77% on west-facing windows.

Window Treatment Tips

Cold weather:

• Choosing double-pane windows with a low e-coating is a great way to reduce heat loss.
• Keeping your windows well-maintained will make them even more energy efficient.
• Choosing the right window treatment will make a huge difference to energy efficiency.

Warm weather:

• Keeping window treatments closed in the day will keep your home cooler.
• Choosing insulating window shades will keep the heat at bay.
• Install awnings on the outside of your windows to reduce heat gain.

Interesting Insights

• During cooler seasons, around 76% of sunlight enters through double-pane windows to become heat.
• Energy-efficient windows can reduce heating and cooling costs for the average homeowner by up to 25%.
• In the USA, up to 80% of residential units and 50% of commercial units, use some sort of ‘low-e’ (low heat emission) glass.
• You can save almost $500 a year when you install ENERGY STAR-certified windows.

Roofing

• The roof accounts for approximately 25% of heat loss for a typical house.
• The most efficient roofs can reflect more than 65% of solar energy away from the house.
• Customers who invested in a 5,000-watt solar PV system saved an average of $44 to $187 per month during the first month.
• Insulation reduces the costs of heating and cooling by over 40%.

What Roof Material to Choose

• Roof tiles reflect up to 75% of solar energy (better than metal roofing).
• Conventional, non-efficient roof materials will reflect only around 5-15% of solar energy.
• Clay tiles are popular for cooling. They have an SRI of over 50% and a thermal emittance of up to 86%.
• A roof made of white thermoplastic can reflect 80% or more of the sun’s rays, and emit at least 70% of solar radiation that the roof absorbs.

How to Install an Energy-Efficient Roof

• Choose a lighter colour for your roof - white roof coatings are best, reflecting around 70-80% of the sun’s energy.
• Improve the insulation under the roof - you can save up to 20% on your energy bill with quality insulation.
• Consider an alternative to asphalt shingles, which are only 30% reflective.
• Use a cool roof coating, which can reduce the cost of energy by 10-30%.
• Improve the ventilation - a roof should have 1 square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of ceiling.

Walls

Around 30-40% of heat in a typical house is lost through the walls.

How to Build Energy-Efficient Walls

• ZIP system: Using a ZIP system can save up to 40% of your energy costs by retaining the heat for a longer period of time.
• Exterior edge: Insulating the exterior edge of a slab can reduce heating bills by 10-20%.
• Wall insulation: Installing wall insulation can reduce heat loss in your home by 67%.
• Basement walls: Insulating the basement walls or slab foundation can reduce heating costs by 10-20%, especially in cold climates.
• Thermal insulation: Thermal insulation reduces the amount of fuel needed for heating, lowering the levels of CO2 and SO2 in the atmosphere.

Interesting Insights

• Walls with wooden frames reduce annual energy consumption by 18% when compared to steel frames and by 10% when compared to CMU walls.
• In residential buildings, complying with the recommended U-values for walls can result in a 22% reduction of energy usage for heating and cooling.

Doors

• An energy-efficient fibreglass door without a window is five times more insulating than a comparable wooden door.
• Energy-efficient doors can save you up to 15% on energy bills.
• An insulating door helps keep your air-conditioned air inside your home.

How to Install Energy-Efficient Doors

• Add weatherstripping: Repairing and weatherstripping your door makes your house up to 20% more energy efficient.
• Install storm doors: Storm doors that are built with special coatings or glass can help reduce energy loss by more than 50%.
• Glass doors: Investing in slightly more expensive ‘low-e’ glass doors can reduce energy loss by 30-50%.

Interesting Insights

• Energy-efficient doors are generally made of polyurethane foam core insulation and steel or fibreglass.
• Low-e coatings can reduce the amount of heat passing through the glass by 30-50%.
• Storm doors using low-e glass or coating cost about 15% more, but reduce energy loss by up to 50%.

Simple Upgrades to Improve Home Energy Efficiency

Small improvements: 

• Seal leaks 
• Switch to CFL or LED bulbs
• Install a new thermostat

Large improvements:

• Replace windows or doors
• Add or replace insulation
• Replace home appliances
• Replace HVAC equipment
• Install a more efficient water heater
• Install solar panels

For further advice on saving energy, get in touch with local electricians today.

Source: Blinds2Go

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