New homes are built around the idea of saving the residents from expensive bills, but older homes weren’t. Their attractive designs often come at the price of high electricity and other bills.
It’s hard to spend money on major renovations to improve the bills, especially when you have moved in just now. However, there are many minor things you can do to reduce your bills.
Let’s look at some of them.
Get a new, advanced energy supplier
Chances are, your old house is still running on an energy supplier from a few decades back. Although loyalty might earn you discounts in other areas, that’s not the case when it comes to energy suppliers.
You might want to break the links with the outdated energy supplier and get a new, updated one.
Upgrade the windows
Older types of windows can trap in warm air during summers and cold air during winters. That leads to extreme temperatures, making you adjust your air conditioning to a more energy-draining level.
While upgrading windows may not be the cheapest of the solutions, it’s definitely a solid one as you can save up to 50% on your monthly bills with a good set of windows.
Replace older bulbs with new, energy-saving ones
Older bulbs use 2-3 times more energy than the current versions. Replacing them with modern, energy-saving bulbs can trim down your electricity bills by a good bit.
Bulb upgrades come at a very affordable price, meaning it’s a cheap and easy upgrade to do to your old house. If you have some budget to spare, you can even opt-in for adjustable bulbs or bulbs with Google Assistant or Alexa support.
Get upgraded, energy-efficient equipment
After you’ve upgraded your bulbs, it’s time to take care of other electrical equipment in your house. Just like in the case of bulbs, other electrical equipment from the past decades wasn’t built to save energy.
I suggest remodeling your house and installing new, upgraded, energy-efficient equipment wherever you can. It might seem like an extra expense in the beginning, but it’s going to save you a lot of money in the long run.
Seal air gaps
Older houses often come with wooden planks on the floors or walls. While they present a vintage look, these types of floors usually have air gaps between them. When there are multiple of those gaps in a single room, it may act like a permanently open window that allows air to leak away.
While you can perform temporary fixes like putting rugs on top of those gaps, I recommend going for a long-term solution. According to a report, fixing those gaps can save you up to $40 per room per year.
Audit your heating system
It’s advised to review and get your heating system serviced every year. However, if it’s older than 10 years, you might be better off replacing it altogether. A modern heating system can save you up to $350 per year.
Call a RESNET professional and ask them to audit your heating system. Get it serviced and if needed, replace it.
Grow indoor plants
Although growing plants won’t directly affect your electricity bills, it will positively impact your comfort-factor you get from saving energy using the other tips mentioned above.
To grow plants indoors, you’ll need to get indoor grow tents to accommodate the lack of sunlight.
Consider green energy
While you can’t produce enough energy of your own to run every appliance of your house, you can certainly generate enough to trim some dollars off of your bills. See if you can get some solid deals on some solar panels and fit them on your roof.
Be clear that some people don’t like the look of solar panels. If the same goes for you, avoid them. Moreover, green energy is only possible in particularly sunny areas; another thing to keep in mind.