Make the Transition to Green Living with these Energy Savings Tips

April 13th, 2014  |  Home Insurance

As a whole, Canadian homeowners are becoming more and more conscious about the impact they are having on the environment. Green living and cutting back on energy consumption is becoming easier and the means to do so is much more accessible than it was in the past.

If you are thinking about making a change in your home, the good news is that there are many things that you can do to cut down your energy consumption and save money on your energy bill.

The Two Major Benefits of Green Living

There are two major benefits to choosing to live a greener lifestyle at home:

1. You will have less of an impact on the environment and emit less greenhouse gas
2. You will save money by using less energy and reduce your monthly energy bill

Tips to Save Energy at Home

1. Get a home energy audit: This is the first step to identify areas where you can improve your energy efficiency and use less energy to operate your home.
2. Check out thesaveONenergy program: This program helps homeowners to better manage energy use and offers money saving incentives.
3. Check your insulation: If you home is not properly insulated or if you have cracks around windows and doors, air can get in and out, forcing your heating and cooling system to work more often and harder to regulate the temperate in your home – something that will cost you more money and require more energy to do.
4. Turn down the thermostat: Even turning down the temperate by two degrees can save you more money than you think. Also, don’t forget to adjust the temperature when you are not home – there is no sense is using energy to heat or cool an empty house.
5. Replace the bulbs: Replacing your current light bulbs with a more energy efficient alternative is a quick and easy fix.
6. Use energy efficient appliances: Over time, it is important to replace all older and less efficient appliances with more energy efficient models.
7. Be conscious of water use: Doing things like shortening your shower time, cutting down the amount of water you use to wash dishes, and making sure the dishwasher is full before you run it is important to conserve water and cut down on your energy consumption.
8. Don’t waste energy needlessly: One of the most wasteful things that people do is leave things on when they are not using them. How often do you leave the TV on when you are not home? Do you leave the lights on when you leave the room? Do you leave your computer on all the time, event when you are not using it?

Following these tips will help you effectively make the transition to being a more environmentally conscious homeowner.

Are you focused on being green? What steps to do take to make your home as energy efficient as possible?