In Gil Kenan’s 2006 animated film, “Monster House,” three puberty-stricken teenagers discover that a local bungalow, owned by crotchety old man Nebbercracker, is possessed by the vengeful spirit of Nebbercracker’s one-time bride. The youth realize that Nebbercracker’s trademark warning, “Get off my lawn!” is a veiled caution to keep away from the clutches of his vindictive house.
How many homeowners can empathize with old man Nebbercracker? Not for his jealous housewife, of course, but for the trap of home ownership. Research compiled by Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar indicate that the average American household spends a whopping $17,000 per year on home ownership. Census figures reported by Terry Mulligan in his article, The Average Cost of Running a Home, estimate that monthly home utility, fuels and public services cost about $300.
No one magical solution can shrink the costs of home ownership. Instead, rescue $5 here, $10 there. You can improve your home’s energy efficiency, and here’s how.
Shop In a Different Aisle
Want to work smart, not hard? Go shopping. Seriously. Saving money can be as easy as spending it – provided you abide by these rules:
- Purchase fluorescent or LED lights rather than traditional halogen or incandescent bulbs. According to research conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), lighting accounts for 11 percent of the energy consumed by the average American home.
- Substitute low-flow 1.5 GPM shower heads for conventional waterfall shower heads.
- Choose ENERGY STAR-certified clothes washers, dryers, refrigerators, space heaters and window air conditioners. When using a window air conditioner, ensure that the unit is set to Recirculation mode.
- Install window drapes or blinds to prevent solar heat gain during warm months and radiant heat loss during the cool season.
Hire a Contractor
Technically, if you want the most efficient home possible, you ought to build it. Use low-e argon-filled triple-pane windows, blown cellulose wall insulation, on-demand hot water heaters, rooftop solar panels, natural gas-powered clothes dryers, 3-foot roof overhangs, mini-split reversible A/C systems and so forth. Good luck!
Here in the real world, efficiency must balance cost. Sealing a drafty back door with a can of DOW Great Stuff expanding foam takes just $5 and five minutes. Recommended retrofits, as showcased in the case studies of Allyson Went’s Building Green article, “The Challenge of Existing Homes: Retrofitting for Dramatic Energy Savings,” include double-pane low-e windows, heat-recovery ventilation systems, passive solar thermal collectors and 16-SEER central A/C units.
Automate Electronics and Energy Systems
Purchasing energy-efficient appliances is sage advice. But here’s a dirty secret: Americans are using less energy for appliances and more for personal electronics. The television and entertainment system consumes about 6 percent of a home’s energy, says the EIA. Business laptops, personal smartphones, gaming PC’s, video game consoles and children’s tablets devour even more.
The obvious solution is to downsize. But what red-blooded American could scream and throw popcorn at an NFL game displayed one a pathetic 16-inch screen? There’s a better way: home automation.
Once the realm of science fiction writers, “smart” technology is now mainstream. The new wave of smart devices, like the iDevices Switch, allows homeowners to automate the use and charging of their appliances. Idevices Switch is one of many smart plugs on the market, most of which can be controlled with a smartphone app or platform hub such as Apple HomeKit, Nest Weave or Samsung SmartThings. Plug a device into Switch, and you can control it with a phone. So schedule your coffee in the morning. Activate the kid’s night light. Turn off the TV after midnight. Nice to be God, isn’t it?
Innovative companies have even created smart HVAC systems. Nest and Honeywell offer smart programmable thermostats that, when paired with motion sensors, determine acceptable temperature ranges depending on the weather and home occupancy. The Ecovent retrofits existing ducted A/C systems with programmable opening and closing air vents for a zoned heating and cooling system.
So start shopping. Pick up a hammer. Get geeky. You can escape the fiscal burden of home ownership – and you’ll save some trees while you’re at it.
David Glenn is a home improvement expert. He occasionally freelance writes about home maintenance and DIY home repair. He’s also knowledgeable about topics like how to improve social presence and building a reputation online.
