DIY Energy-Saving Projects: 8 Home Improvements to Help Save Money on Energy Bills by 30Seconds Dad
Every homeowner has a common enemy: energy prices. The cost of simply having electricity can be a big slice of your budget, and the cost of hiring someone to upgrade your appliances can be expensive. What if there were cheap DIY projects that you could do yourself to bring down your energy bill?
Household improvements are intended to save money, so don’t invest big dollars when you could save right away. Take a look at these inexpensive DIY projects and start putting some extra change in your pocket:
Build or Install a Solar Panel
If you’re tired of paying for energy, why not make your own with solar energy? Installing a solar panel on your roof or in a sunny spot can offset at least some of your monthly energy costs. How much energy you generate may depend on the quality of the solar panel and the intensity of sunlight, but there are a lot of great tutorials on building a solar panel. If you choose to purchase a solar panel, you can still save on installation fees and do it yourself.
As beycome.com points out, your property values are likely to increase if you go solar. Energy efficiency is a priority for many new homeowners, and a house that generates its own electricity without a carbon footprint can really pay off.
Unplug the Laundry Dryer
Did you know that laundry clothes dryers account for 6 percent of your electricity use? Six percent may sound small, but if you spend $1,000 on electricity annually, that’s $60 in savings right there. Drying your clothes on a laundry line can do the trick – though it might take a little longer to dry, you’ll save on electricity costs. Plus, your clothes will wear out less quickly since they aren’t getting beaten up in the dryer. Double the savings! You also can DIY a laundry drying rack if you don’t have the space for clotheslines.
Shorten Your Dryer Vent Hose
This one is simple. If you choose to keep using your washing machine, you can shorten the vent hose and save a lot of electricity. All you have to do is disconnect and vacuum out the hose, then trim the hose down. You want it to be long enough that you can pull the dryer out a few feet, but having a shorter and freshly vacuumed hose will make your dryer run more efficiently, use less electricity and dry your clothes up to 20 percent faster.
Install Dimmer Switches and LED Lights
Cutting down on your lighting costs can pay off in the long run. Dimmer switches allow you to control the brightness of your lights, so you’re not paying for full brightness all the time. They’re easy to install and only $10 at stores like Home Depot. Additionally, LED and halogen lights are much more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs – while the bulbs themselves are slightly more expensive, they last much longer and put way less money on your energy bill.
Insulate Hot Water Lines
As hot water comes into contact with the pipes in your house, the cool air outside of the pipes sucks away heat. As a result, your hot water requires more energy to heat up. Installing foam insulation outside of the pipes helps keep the heat from escaping, resulting in less energy wasted. On top of this, your hot water will reach your sinks, showers, washing machine, etc., much faster.
Repaint Your Roof a Light Color
Every part of your house traps heat, including your roof. However, repainting your roof a lighter color can trap much less heat. Your house will absorb less solar energy, especially in the summer, reducing your A/C costs significantly throughout the year.
Insulate Your Water Tank
Much like insulating your hot water pipes, insulating your water tank is a great way to reduce the energy costs of heating up water. The cost of insulating your tank pays itself back in about a year. Afterward, it’s all savings.
Install Weatherstripping
Air leaks happen no matter what, especially around movable joints like windows and doors. But you can greatly reduce these leaks with weatherstripping. By saving yourself the loss of thermal energy and better insulating your home, you can significantly reduce your energy bill.
Gas and electric bills can suck your budget dry, but with these eight DIY projects to get you started you can take your savings straight to the bank.
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