When you own your own home, you can tend to have a lot to do and a lot of expenses on your plate. This can be frustrating especially when your home is running inefficiently and causing you to have higher electric bills than you should. If you find yourself in this situation, there are many things you can do to improve your home, make it more efficient, and cut down on your electric bills each month. Here are a few of the best home improvement projects that can help you to meet your efficiency goals. 

Improve Your Insulation 

In many cases, your home is losing energy it uses out of uninsulated areas of your house. That means that doing the work to install insulation can help you to cut down on your bills for your future in your home. A good place to start is with your attic. Many homes have attics that are either entirely uninsulated or only partially insulated. This can lead to tons of heat leaving your home during the winter months. After insulating your attic, you should look at other areas of your home where insulation may be lacking. Taking care of those places will help you to keep your home well insulated and make the most of your space. 

Use LED Light Bulbs 

Sometimes you don’t want to do anything too complicated, especially after you have finished a long day of work. That’s what makes the simple prospect of changing your lightbulbs an easy and effective way to start decreasing your electric bill. LED light bulbs are very efficient and though they are a small change, they will immediately start making a difference. They also tend to last longer than older less efficient bulbs, so that means it’s a job you won’t have to deal with again for quite a while. You can tackle all your lightbulbs at once or take it a room at a time if you are looking to split up the work a bit. 

Upgrade Your HVAC 

Your HVAC system is another likely culprit when it comes to high electricity bills. If you are noticing that your bills have gone up recently without a change in your electricity habits, it may be time to have an HVAC inspection done. The inspector will be able to find any inefficiencies and determine whether your system needs to be repaired or replaced. If your HVAC system is old, then it is a good idea to invest in the upgrade so you can start taking advantage of the new technology that has become available recently. Once you have your new system, make sure you change your filters regularly. 

Window Treatments 

During the summer months, you likely get a lot of heat entering your home through your windows. This is because the light of the sun and specifically UV rays can penetrate your windows. This can lead your home to be hotter which costs you more money in air conditioning. Residential window tinting can cut your AC bills by blocking UV rays from entering through your windows. Tinting your windows can also help you to avoid getting sunburned when you are in the comfort of your own home. 

Storm Windows 

Sometimes you need to upgrade your windows a little further and storm windows can help you to improve your efficiency. Most people think of storm windows as only useful during a storm, but they can actually prevent air from getting in and out of your home at all times. That makes them incredibly useful throughout the year and more efficient than standard windows. Storm windows are relatively affordable and should have an immediate impact on your power bills. That benefit makes them a great choice for making your home more efficient. 

Install Solar Panels 

If you want to get completely off the grid or lower or even eliminate your electric bill, one great option is to invest in solar panels. If you live in a sunny area, you can likely get enough energy from your solar panels to move completely away from the electrical grid, or you can even sell excess energy back to the electric company. You can also take advantage of tax options to ensure that you are reimbursed for some of your solar panel costs. While this is a big investment up front, it will have positive ramifications for your home and energy use in the future. 

Get a Smart Thermostat 

Sometimes it is your electricity habits rather than the efficiency of your home that is hurting your electric bills. Installing a smart thermostat can help you to track your electricity use and develop more efficient habits. The installation process is easy, and you should be able to complete it within fifteen minutes or so. You can also sometimes get a discount on the device through your electricity provider, so take a look to see if you can get a better deal. Once you have installed your smart thermostat, you can start by tracking your habits and then use it to develop stronger habits for the future. 

Change Your Energy Habits 

In addition to your heating and cooling habits, there are other bad habits that many people have related to energy use. For example, most people tend to leave things plugged in whether or not they are in use. This can be a major drain on your electricity. Your laundry can also be a big place where energy is wasted and your electricity bill can go up. If you are constantly running loads on hot, it can lead to big expenses on your bill each month. Improving your habits is a big project, but you can take it in small steps. 

Staying on top of your electricity use and improving your home and lifestyle can help you to save money. That will put you in a much better position to actually start making money and getting more out of your home and your life. Now is the time to make improvements so you can start seeing a decrease in your energy bill sooner.

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