Home Repair: 4 Killer Ways to Improve Energy Cost

Spring is quickly winding down, and you probably noticed that your energy bill last winter was a little higher than you’re used to. And now you’re thinking about saving some money on your energy consumption in Alpharetta or Atlanta.

Pretty much every homeowner loves the idea of saving some money on their electricity bills. However, when the discussion involves thoughts like shutting down the hitting and wearing jumper sweaters indoors, most homeowners grow cold feet at implementing such ideas.

With simpler ideas like energy efficient garage door installation and switching to smart thermostats, reducing energy consumption doesn’t have to be that painful or difficult. There is a lot of energy waste happening in many homes at the moment, and you can never run short of ideas and opportunities to reduce your energy consumption.

Today we want to take a quick look at some of the simple home repairs and improvements you can implement to reduce energy cost. Have a look;

1. Completely Insulate You Garage Door

The garage door is probably the biggest door 0n your house, and as such it offers lots of opportunities for cold air to sip in and heated air to escape during winter and the reverse during summer. Insulating your garage door can be approached in a couple of ways. If you have a new uninsulated garage door, you can purchase an insulation kit and attach on your garage door from the inside.

Reflective paneling and foam boards are the most popular and perhaps the most effective insulation types, and they also tend to be inexpensive. Ask at your local hardware or search online for insulation kits that cover your type of doors. If you’re not buying a custom kit, some home improvement stores will offer to cut foam boards into the appropriate size. If you’re not sure about the installation, consider hiring a garage door repair expert for some help.

2. Install a New Energy Efficient Garage Door.

While insulating your garage door using a kit will certainly improve the insulation of your door, these kits are not always efficient, depending on your type of door and its condition. In addition, any slight error in installing the insulation kit will compromise its insulation capability.

Moreover, insulation kits may not be as attractive as the insulation that comes inbuilt in new doors. The kit insulation is always exposed from the inside and susceptible to damage –and when the foam boards are damaged, they show quite clearly. This is why a new insulated garage door installation will always offer superior results.

Thankfully, most garage door manufacturers are focusing on energy-efficient doors and the number of efficiently insulated and stylish garage doors is increasing dramatically. If you’re looking for insulation functionality, you no longer have to sacrifice style. So if your uninsulated garage door is dated, out of style, or keeps breaking down, you can take advantage of the situation and replace it with a new energy efficient, insulated garage door.

3. Seal around the windows and doors

Other than the garage door, the cracks and spaces around doors and windows can easily allow air to escape. When air moves in and out, your cooling and heating systems tend to consume extra energy in order to maintain comfortable temperature levels. To prevent this from happening, consider applying weather-stripping around the perimeter of your door and caulking around your windows. With a little elbow grease, you can easily do this on your own on a weekend afternoon.

4.Buy Energy Efficient Smart Thermostats

Your thermostat is accountable for more than 50% of your monthly electricity bill. It essentially controls the level of heating and cooling in your home, which is one of the biggest cost items on your energy bill especially during summer or winter. To save energy using a thermostat, consider installing a smart programmable thermostat.

There is a wide range of energy efficient smart thermostats in the market that let you program when and how heating and cooling should take place. For instance, you can set your thermostat at the lowest possible temperature during the way when you’re not at home, and have it turn on and heat or cool your home to comfortable temperatures just before you get home in the evening.

Bottom line

Sealing cracks and crevices, adding an extra insulation layer in the artic and installing energy efficient bulbs are just a few additional ways to keep your energy cost down. However, you don’t have to implement everything at once, but you can take advantage of this balanced spring weather to make most of these insulation upgrades and improvements to come true.