When the seasons shift in some parts of the world, your energy bills can go absolutely bonkers. But, there are tons of ways to lower these energy costs without having to sacrifice your basic standard of living. Sometimes it takes a little bit of knowledge and creativity, but those options are yours to pursue.
In particular, five of these smart ways depend on your circumstances and conditions, including putting some shade trees up in the appropriate places, adding awnings to your windows, utilizing smart faucets, wearing appropriate clothing, and using timed thermostats as much as possible. All of these are relatively low-cost ways to improve your basic energy bills on a seasonal basis.
Shady Trees
Adding shade trees to your property just outside of your windows is a fantastic way to lower your energy bills. The trees will keep bright sunshine out, thereby lowering your need to use air-conditioning, they will keep the wind away from getting in your windows, thereby lessening energy transfer from in to out, and they will also do things like potentially prevent flooding in certain areas as well as giving you a larger environmentally controllable factor to use to your advantage.
Awnings
Another easy install to lower your energy costs would be to add awnings above your windows that face certain directions. The sun can be brutal during certain seasons and on certain parts of your house, but by installing awnings that prevent the worst of the heat and sunlight, you can drastically reduce your need to turn the air conditioning on. Awnings can also help keep the ring out while also keeping windows open, which will allow you to control climate naturally.
Smart Faucets
Costs associated with hot water can really get up there during some points of the year as well. If you like taking hot showers and have a large family, the heating bill can go up pretty extensively in the cold months especially. Also, if you want to save water but still have the same effect as the shower, you can install water-saving shower-heads that can save you a whole lot of money in the long run.
Appropriate Clothing
And believe it or not, one smart way to lower your energy costs is to have the right clothes available for you to wear during different seasons. You can always put on extra clothes when it gets cold and takes extra layers off when it’s hot, so you don’t have to keep the temperature within such a narrow range by using electricity and gas power.
Timed Thermostats
And finally, if you install times thermostats with your air-conditioning and your furnace, that saves a ton of energy as well. You can significantly lower the temperature of your home at night and still sleep peacefully, knowing that at a predetermined time in the morning, the temperature will rise back up to where you feel comfortable when it’s time to start your day.