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Energy Efficiency best practices: how to make your home more sustainable

Reducing the energy you use at home will help you save money and positively impact on the environment. But how can you save energy in your household, while at the same time improving your sustainable lifestyle, especially if you are concerned about energy costs?

An ever increasing number of people are starting to change the mindset with which they approach the energy efficiency challenges: while in the past it was more a matter of saving money, nowadays we are more aware on the impact climate change and excessive energy consumption have on the environment. And awareness shows itself both in the content of general cultural discourse and in civic initiatives, first and foremost the movement “Friday for Future” initiated among young students, in the wake of Greta Thunberg’s “strike for climate”.

With rising energy costs and the need to spend more time at home, due to health safety reasons after Covid-19, more and more people are starting to consider how they can save energy in their everyday life. In this article we will provide you with a list of best practices and energy saving tips & tricks, aimed at increasing the overall energy efficiency in your home, thus improving the level of perceived comfort.

 

Don’t wait for a better time, start saving energy NOW!

  • Improve insulation: the weather does not count, a well-insulated house will allow you to save energy and money on heating provision, no matter what. If your house is lacking in this field, adding insulation will make a big difference both onyour comfort and your energy bill. You don’t know where to start? No problem, ACT4ECO is here for you! Discover the Action “Improve your home”, especially the sessions dedicated to insulation methods and air tightness.
  • Think about changing your heating source: your old boiler needs replacing? There is no better time than now to do it. You can consider investing in a geothermal heat pump or, more simply, an air heath pump. Take a look at the session “Improve your heath and cooling system” to learn more on this.
  • Fix your windows with some sealing in order to repair any possible leak, which adds to the overall heath consumption. The session “Change or upgrade your windows” is what you need.
  • Clean your HVAC system, best before the hot season, in order to be ready when the climate starts getting warmer. Remember to have filters professionally cleaned on a regular basis.
  • Upgrade your thermostat…or learn how to use it in an optimized way. This very simple tool plays such a big role in the energy consumption of your home. What Is important is to use it slyly by programming the turning on/turning off of your heating system around your everyday timetable (e.g. set it so that it switches on one hour before you come back home from work; make it switch off automatically at night, while you are sleeping under your duvet, etc.). Learn how to do it in the Action “Smart Consumers”.
  • Consider changing your energy provider by switching to a green one, i.e. a provider ensuring that energy is generated from renewable sources, such as wind, solar energy or hydroelectric. Before doing the leap, you can also check the mix of energy sources and CO2 emissions of your current tariff (it should be specified in your energy bill) …maybe it is not as bad as you think.
  • Replace your old electric appliances with new ones only if it is strictly necessary and, in that case, with smart and energy-efficient ones. Want to learn more on this topic? Go and check the session “The power of household appliances”.

And finally… Start small to dream big!  In other words start making the change by adopting a number of energy-efficient habits in your everyday life: e.g. always turn off the lights when you leave a room, adjust the indoor temperature so that it is not too warm in winter and too cold in summer, don’t leave your appliances in stand-by but rather turn them off completely, etc. Discover how you can save energy at home by taking a look at “Rhythms and Routines” session.

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