this is John with southeastern general contractors comm with ten ways you can make your home more energy efficient energy efficiency means you are using less energy to do the same jobs reducing your home's energy waste and saving money to effectively increase your energy efficiency involves more than just using less energy it requires you becoming more aware of how energy is used where it's wasted and how it can be used more effectively and efficiently in everyday life here are ten top tips to help your home save energy and be more efficient want to see all our videos learn helpful tips and keep up to date on all our projects be sure to LIKE and subscribe to our YouTube channel southeastern general contractors let's build together number one find better ways to heat and cool your house as much as half of the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling installing a ceiling fan can be used in place of air conditioners which require a large amount of energy periodically replace air filters in air conditioners and heaters set thermostats to an appropriate temperature specifically they should be turned down at night when no one is a home in most homes about two percent of the heating bill will be saved for each degree that the thermostat is lowered for at least eight hours each day turning down the thermostat from seventy five to seventy for example say it's about ten percent on heating costs installing a programmable thermostat saves money by allowing an eating and cooling appliances to automatically turn down during times no one is home or at night programmable thermostats in some climate zones can save up to $150 a year in energy cost also at night curtains drawn over the windows will better insulate a room number two install a tankless water heater demand type water heaters tankless and instantaneous provide hot water only as it is needed they don't produce the standby energy losses associated with traditional storage water heaters which will save on energy costs tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank when a hot water tap is turned on cold water travels through a pipe into the unit a gas burner or electric element heats the water as a result demand water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water and you don't need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough number three replace incandescent lights the average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting traditional incandescent lights convert approximately only 10% of the energy they consume into life while the rest becomes heat the use of new lighting technologies such as light-emitting diodes also known as LEDs and compact fluorescent lamps CFLs can reduce the energy use required by lighting by 50 to 75 percent advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time that lights are on but not being used number four properly insulate your home properly insulating your home is one of the most cost effective ways to make a home more comfortable and energy efficient a tightly sealed home can improve comfort and indoor air quality by reducing utility bills and the cold and draftin to send a home hot air naturally Rises therefore if your homes addict doesn't have sufficient insulation a large percentage of the heat in your home will simply go up and out through your attic the good news is that you can add insulation in your attic and enjoy the subsequent savings year after year and the fine install efficient showerheads and toilets low-flow showerheads are available in different flow rates and some have a pause button which shuts off the water while the bather lathers up toilets consume 30 to 40 percent of the total water used in homes making them the biggest water users replacing an older 3.5 gallon toilet with a modern low-flow 1.6 gallon tolet can reduce usage on an average of 2 gallons per flush also known as gpf saving 12,000 gallons of water per year low-flow toilets usually have a 1.6 gpf marked on the bowl behind the seat or inside the tank another type known as a dual flush toilet has been used in europe and australia for years and are now gaining popularity in the u.s. number 6 by Energy Star appliances and electronics these devices approved by the US Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program include everything from TV's home theater systems and more appliances and electronics account for about 20% of the household energy bills in a typical u.s. home according to the EPA if just 10% of homes use energy-efficient appliances it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent 1.7 million acres of trees that's a lot of treats number 7 installed a lighting as an alternative to electrical lighting a lighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate the homes interior the most common ways this is done is by installing we're designing in skylights it's important that they be double pane or they may not be cost-effective but keep in mind flashing skylights correctly is key to avoiding leaks similar to skylights are light tubes which uses special lens designed to amplify a low-level light and reduce light intensity from the midday Sun sunlight is channeled through a tube coated with a lightly reflective material and then enters the living space through a diffuser designed to distribute light evenly day lighting can reduce overall energy cost by 25 percent number eight insulate windows and doors about one-third of the homes total heat loss usually occurs to the windows and doors so all window edges and cracks with rope caulk this is the cheapest and simplest option windows can be weatherstrip with a special lining that is inserted between the window and the frame four doors apply weather stripping around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when they're closed install quality door sweeps at the bottom of the doors if they aren't already in place install storm windows at windows with only single paints a removable glass frame can be installed over an existing window number nine landscaping for energy efficiency a well-designed and energy-efficient landscape can reduce your heating cooling and lighting costs in certain circumstances carefully positioned trees and shrubs can save up to 25% of the energy of typical household uses energy efficient landscaping has additional benefits such as lower maintenance cost a reduction in water use and acquired our home and cleaner air number 10 higher energy auditor to do a walk through an energy auditor can assess where your home is losing the most energy and then proposes improvements to make to help save energy and reduce your utility bills professional energy audits can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours to complete depending on the size of your home thanks for watching and hopefully you gain a better overall idea of how to save money and make your home more energy efficient want to see all our videos learn helpful tips and keep up to date on all our projects be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel southeastern general contractor let's build together [Music]