Faulty Home Features That Waste Energy

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Now that it’s winter, it’s time to be a responsible homeowner. What does that mean? It means making an effort to stop wasting energy! In the summer time, people think about gas and electricity more because they feel as if they shouldn’t use them as much in the first place. But, winter is the time when most homeowners go overboard. As such, the energy comes and goes as it pleases, and you are none the wiser. Thankfully, you can put a stop to this by making a few simple changes. Here are the features which are inefficient and need addressing as soon as possible.

Incandescent Light Bulbs

To start with, an incandescent bulb is a regular one that would find in pretty much any light fixture. Unfortunately, they aren’t a good investment regarding the environment and your bank balance. For starters, a standard bulb gives off more heat than light, even though they are quite bright. So, you’re paying money for a resource that you don’t want when you flick a switch. Plus, the cost of running a household that uses incandescent light bulbs is much higher. CFLs may be costlier to buy, but they make up for it in the long-term.

Windows And Doors

By far the biggest energy culprits are windows and doors. Quite simply, they are never fitted properly in a lot of cases. As a result, there is a gap between the frame that allows cold air in and hot air out. Also, the glass is quite fragile if you only have single glazing. Thankfully, the solutions are simple and easy to install. To begin with, a cheap glass repair service is available if any chips or cracks appear. Next, double glazing is also easily accessible should you want to add an extra layer. Finally, a window fitter won’t charge much to refit any windows or doors that aren’t properly installed. In fact, you may get it free if they have a warranty.

Kitchen Appliances

It seems unfair to focus on kitchen appliances, but they are the least energy efficient. Anyway, the kitchen houses more than the rest of the house, so it’s bound to use more electric. The fridge is without a doubt the most notorious as it runs all day long for three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year. If replacing it with a newer model is out of the question, you can modify the settings. By turning it down, it should waste less electricity throughout the day, and the same goes for the rest of the appliances.

Personal Accessories

No one ever thinks about their laptop or smartphone as being inefficient. The truth is that they are two of the biggest contributors. Why? It’s because they need charging on a daily basis. Some people even charge their phone more than once a day, which is a lot of energy. Although it sounds painful (sorry!), resisting the temptation is necessary if you want to cut down your energy usage.

These four features are the main ones, but there are plenty more so be wary.