[ECO]Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient for Spring With These 8 Tips

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Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient for Spring With These 8 Tips

Spring is the ideal time for an energy audit. This transitional ******* allows homeowners to prepare for the high-demand cooling season. Some simple fixes and easy maintenance will help you save energy, lower bills and improve home comfort before the summer arrives. 

As the weather warms and days lengthen, try these ideas for an energy-efficiency makeover.

1. Fix Air Leaks

Preventing warm air from entering and cool air from escaping is essential for summer efficiency. Of all the energy spent heating or cooling the home,

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, according to expert estimates. The mild spring weather is perfect for finding air leaks and fixing them with weatherstripping and caulk.

You can find leaks around windows, doors and other areas by lighting an incense stick. Close all windows and doors, and turn off any fans. Then, walk slowly around each room, holding the incense close to window frames, doors, baseboards, pipes, vents and any other potential leak spots. If the smoke rises straight up, you’re fine. If it blows in or out, there is a gap.

Other locations to check include around electrical outlets and switch plates on exterior walls, plumbing and utility penetrations, attic hatches, and recessed lighting. Each might be only a tiny leak, but taken together, they all add up to poorer energy efficiency if not addressed.

2. Prepare for the Sun

If you have standard windows, 76% of the sunlight hitting them will be converted to indoor heat. Consider window treatments to prevent this.

Simple blackout curtains are a good start and a budget option. For a more advanced solution, you could install exterior solar screens that block significant amounts of heat before it even reaches your windows’ glass.

Interior window films are another option. These are transparent sheets you apply directly to the glass that reflect solar heat without blocking your view.

3. Service Your HVAC System

After the cold winter, it’s time to show your HVAC some love. Consider scheduling a professional service. During a service call, a technician will typically check for the correct amount of refrigerant, test for duct leakage, inspect and clean the evaporator and condenser coils, check thermostat accuracy, and measure airflow through the system. This thorough checkup ensures the unit is safe and ready for the coming season.

If professional servicing is not an option, you can DIY to some extent. For example, clean and replace the filters and clear winter debris from the external unit. This will improve the unit’s efficiency ahead of summer’s demands.

4. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans 

Flip the switch on your ceiling fans to change their direction

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that increases your comfort. Because you will feel cooler, you can raise your thermostat a few degrees, helping you save on cooling energy.

5. Adjust Your Thermostat Settings

Similarly, remember to reprogram your thermostat to reduce cooling while you’re away or asleep. If you don’t already have a smart system, think about upgrading — smart thermostats can learn your family’s habits and make automatic adjustments. Considering almost

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goes on heating and cooling, small changes here can make a big difference.

6. Optimize Your Laundry

Did you know that

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of laundry energy use? For all but the heaviest of stains, cold water is enough for today’s highly efficient detergents. Plus, you can take advantage of the spring breeze to line dry your clothes outside for free.

7. Minimize Outdoor Lighting

As the evenings lengthen, switch off nonessential external lights. This obviously reduces electricity consumption, but it also has another important environmental benefit.

Spring is peak migration season,

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by the stars. Outdoor lighting can disorient them, often with fatal consequences. Estimates suggest that up to a billion birds die due to light pollution every year.

8. Plant for Strategic Shade

Spring is the ideal time to plant fast-growing native deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home. Species like red maple, paper birch or tulip tree

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, as well as affording shade and privacy.

Passive shading like this can help reduce the energy necessary to cool your home over time. Once established, trees will serve you well for many years to come.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Your DIY Spring Energy Audit

Before diving into specific fixes, take a systematic approach by conducting your own simple home energy audit. This process helps you identify and prioritize the biggest areas of energy loss in your home. Think of it as a spring physical for your house.

1. Review Past Utility Bills

Start by gathering your bills from the last year. Look for the spike in usage during the summer cooling season. This gives you a baseline and helps you understand your home’s energy habits. Your goal is to see a lower number this year after implementing your efficiency upgrades.

2. Conduct an Exterior Walk-Around

On a clear day, walk around the outside of your property. Look for obvious gaps where different building materials meet — for example, between the foundation and the walls or the walls and the eaves. Check the seals around outdoor faucets, electrical outlets and dryer vents. Make a note of any cracks in the siding or foundation that may need sealing.

3. Perform a Room-by-Room Inspection

This goes deeper than the incense test. Keep a note of your findings so that if you don’t manage to get to everything this spring, you can come back to it later in the year.

• The attic: This is a primary source of energy loss. Visually inspect your insulation. Is it below the level of the floor joists? There should be a layer over them. Is it distributed evenly or are there bare spots? An under-insulated attic allows summer heat to radiate down into your home.
• The basement: Check the rim joists — the wooden frame that sits on top of the concrete foundation. This area is notoriously leaky and a prime candidate for sealing with foam or caulk.
• “Vampire loads”: As you walk through each room, notice how many electronics are plugged in. Devices like televisions, game consoles and chargers draw a small amount of power even when turned off. Try smart power strips that will cut power when a device is in standby.

These actions will help you prioritize your spring energy-efficiency drive to get the best results.

The Warmup for a Cool Summer

Making the most of spring weather to boost your home’s energy efficiency is a smart and sustainable choice. Many fixes are simple and cheap, so by investing just a little of your time, you can cut your energy consumption, lower your bills and get ready to enjoy a greener summer.

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