How To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

As the weather changes, electricity bills can place a lot of pressure on your household budget, so it is important to consider energy efficient improvements you can make to your home. As a matter of fact, your house is probably wasting energy every day, sometimes in ways that you would not expect.

Studies show that on average, households in America waste around 35% percent of the energy they use. As weather patterns shift in New England and winters become warmer due to climate change, making your home eco-friendly will not only lower your spending, but also help you lower your carbon footprint.

Here are a few tips on how to make your home more sustainable:

• Use energy efficient lightbulbs: Replacing light bulbs is a lot cheaper than other larger appliances, but this small step can save you money. More and more sustainable options are becoming widely available for purchase, but experts recommend using CLF or LED lightbulbs. Not only do they consume half as much energy, but also last longer, making it a worthwhile and relatively cheap investment into your home.
• Consider adding solar panels: Although quite costly, this can be a great investment that will not only cut your spending on electricity while also potentially making money by selling energy back to utilities.
• Turn off all lights and electronic appliances when they are not in use: This goes without saying, but make sure to unplug as many appliances as possible at the end of the day or when they are not in use. This will help you save energy and, in some cases, even improve fire safety.
• Improve your insulation: Making the insulation better at your home can save you up to 50% on your energy bills. The best place to focus on is usually the attic. Additionally, looking around your home and sealing all cracks and gaps can also trim down the spending.
• Set your thermostat: It is recommended to set your thermostat to 78F in the winter and 68F in the summer. Changing the temperature frequently will not help you cool or heat your house faster, but rather significantly increase your energy costs, sometimes by 6-8%.
• Upgrade your windows: Although this can be a more costly step, it is definitely an investment that will help you save energy. The best windows for that are those insulated with argon gas between the panes. Although they range up to $600, windows like that will save you energy and keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer for years ahead.

Making your home more energy efficient starts with observing your day-to-day habits, and making some significant, but worthwhile changes. To begin the process of making your home more sustainable, National Grid put together a checklist that outlines everything you need to know to save on energy costs. Make sure you are strategic about your improvements, keep an eye on industry updates, and explore all the resources available to you.

Additionally, our homeowner's insurance policies in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, offer a broad selection of coverage including coverage for losses to your home and its contents from numerous perils, and coverage for liability to others arising from ownership or occupancy of your home. Enhanced coverage is available in each market, please see the individual state pages linked above for more details. Additionally, we offer competitive rates, including discounts for being loss free and a discount of up to 20% if you insure your automobile with us.

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