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Is Your Home Energy Efficient?
The typical family spends over $2,200 a year on energy bills. A good portion
of that energy is wasted. Each and every year, electricity generated by fossil
 fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than
two average cars. Saving energy isn’t hard, but “know-how” and motivation are key.
Making a plan and acting in a systematic manner to execute that plan will
bring success. Saving energy needs a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view
your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield
long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than compensate for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over
their lifetime. A home that operates efficiently is a joy to the owner who experiences the comfort and reduced energy bills, but can also command
a higher price when selling the house.
Your whole-house energy plan can begin as a simple list. The basics are insulating and sealing your home and assessing your heating and cooling systems, water heating, windows, appliances and lighting to determine if they are efficient.
The add-ons in your home will also pull your bill higher, such as TV’s,
computers, game systems, monitors and other consumer products that use electricity.
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