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Energy saving secrets

11th Jul '18 • By Kaylyn Jeffrey

Seriously cut down your living costs with this informative infographic to help you save on your next energy bill.

energy saving secrets

 

Energy Efficient Home Infographic

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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