How Can South Kansas City Homeowners Lower Energy Bills?

How Can South Kansas City Homeowners Lower Energy Bills?

If you’re having difficulty with high energy bills and keeping your home at a comfortable temperature, you’re not alone. About a third of households in the U.S. struggle to keep up with their increasing energy prices, according to a recent study from the Energy Information Administration. Changing your appliances and switching out your lights are just a few ways to improve your regular bills. Damaged or deteriorated insulation and air sealing are significant culprits of steep bills, poor indoor air quality, and irregular temperatures. Learn more about increasing your savings with your local industry experts.

Ways to Lower Your Energy Bills

Update Appliances

Larger appliances - refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers, etc. - take up a significant amount of energy and can be driving up your bills if they're used often. However, especially if you live in a large household, a reduced operation isn't necessarily an option. One solution is to ensure you're running these machines at full capacity. Don't run a half-full washer or dishwasher, try drying clothes on low heat, and make fewer trips back and forth to the refrigerator when cooking. Sounds easy enough, right? For some households, this may be the solution - however, there are other options.

Instead of trying to get into the habit of unplugging these devices and letting dishes or laundry stack up to cut back on spent energy, it may be time to look into smarter electronics. Koala Insulation of South Kansas City is a certified Energy Star Partner, connecting with organizations that are dedicated to improving the environment while also providing energy-efficient services and products. Energy Star not only works with local communities to offer rebate programs for updating appliances but also offers energy-efficient choices when your household is looking to reduce expenses with devices that use less energy to run just as effectively.

Retrofit Insulation

Insulation improves the climate control capabilities of your home by reducing heat transfer, the rate at which heat enters and exits a building. However, if your insulation is damaged, deteriorated, or improperly installed, you may be experiencing significant heat loss in the winter and heat gain during the summer. This means your HVAC system is constantly running to keep up with the desired temperature, replacing air that’s freely moving through your walls and floors. This drastically increases your monthly costs, not only in your energy bills but also in maintenance needs for an overworked unit.

Retrofitting insulation is the process of removing old insulation and replacing the material with something new and more suitable for your home’s needs. While some materials are able to last up to 15 years, moisture, pests, and other disturbances or damages can significantly reduce insulation’s lifespan. As the material deteriorates, it’s less effective in preventing irregular temperatures, meaning you’ve lost a key line of defense in maintaining a comfortable environment.

Seal Air Leaks

Often going hand-in-hand with retrofit insulation, updating your air sealing is crucial to reducing regular energy costs. Gaps, cracks, and holes throughout your building envelope allow for air leaks, which present a multitude of problems for your household. Arguably the worst of all is the increase in your energy bills: when airflow isn’t controlled in your home with the help of air sealing, heat can move freely through these openings. Conditioned air or heat added to the home is lost through the cracks while air from outside replaces it, contributing to irregular temperatures and increased use of the HVAC system. It’s the equivalent of leaving a door or window open.

In addition to contributing to raised fees, air leaks may also pose a significant risk to health risks. Air from outside isn’t just giving you the chills from cold spots and drafts - it can also carry in dust, allergens, and other outdoor pollutants, resulting in poor indoor air quality. If you’re experiencing allergy-like symptoms when you wake up - stuffy sinuses, sore throat, etc. - that go away after a short time, it could be because of these pollutants. Updating your air sealing can not only help to reduce the strain on your wallet but also reduce the strain on your respiratory system.

Switch Out the Lights

Finally, even the small changes throughout your home can have a large impact on your energy spending. Incandescent bulbs are not only outdated, but they're also major money-drainers; they're less efficient, dimmer, and don't last as long when compared to modern alternatives. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and LED bulbs use less energy while also producing less heat and more light. LED bulbs specifically use an average of 75% less energy than incandescent lighting.

In addition to switching out energy-wasting lightbulbs for energy-saving alternatives, making minor adjustments in your habits can also add up to more savings. Although it may seem like a minuscule improvement, turning off the lights every time you leave a room helps save a little every hour, which adds up more than you may think over the month. Keep lamps in the best places to maximize their efficiency - having a standing light near a couch or bed can be more effective than a ceiling light while also using less energy. Finally, don’t forget to open the blinds to improve the lighting and reduce your need to flip the light switch in the first place!

Lower Your Monthly Costs with Local Assistance

When it comes to creating a comfortable environment without sacrificing the safety and budget of your household, your local insulation experts have the solutions you're looking for. Koala Insulation of South Kansas City is a team of trained and experienced industry professionals that are dedicated to improving our community. With our free evaluations, we can provide a detailed overview of your home's current condition in regards to its insulation and air sealing material. This not only provides your household with a cost-effective service but we also prioritize energy-efficient materials and methods to reduce your environmental impact. For more information on how insulation and air sealing impact your comfort and safety, contact Koala Insulation of South Kansas City to schedule your free evaluation.