- My name's Aaron Massey from
Mrfixitdiy.com and today,
I'm here to share with you my five DIY ways
to make your home more energy efficient.
Summertime means cranking that air conditioning
in the house to cool it down,
which can really impact your home's energy consumption.
So today I'm here to share a few things
that you can do around your home
to help you make your home more energy efficient
and less impactful on the environment.
Number one is to replace
indoor and outdoor bulbs with LEDs.
Replacing your light bulbs is one of the simplest
and most cost effective ways
to make your home more energy efficient.
Typical CFL or older incandescent bulbs
use anywhere from 40 to 100 watts apiece
and the newer LED equivalants typically range
from 10 to 20 watts for the same amount of light output.
They're a little more expensive on the front end,
but their bulb life is exponentially longer,
and the cost savings on your energy bill adds up quickly.
Many people may think to replace
their interior bulbs, but make sure
you also consider replacing
exterior landscape bulbs and motion lights.
It's not uncommon for exterior bulbs
to be in the 150 watt range,
so replacing them can be a significant savings over time.
Number two is to inspect your attic insulation,
and replace it if necessary.
Most homeowners don't like working in their attic
and I don't blame you, especially in the summer months.
But it's a vital part of keeping your home
as efficient as possible.
Not only does it help keep the heat in during the winter,
but it also helps keep the heat
of your roof from radiating down
into your living space in the summer.
Go up into your attic and make sure
that you have insulation coating
the entirety of the living space.
It may either be blown in, or in bat form,
or a combination of the two.
If your insulation is very sporadic,
very thin, or has been infested with critters,
consider having your insulation replaced
or adding additional insulation on top.
Number three is to update your old thermostat
to a new, smart thermostat.
Installing a smart thermostat is a simple way
to make sure that you're being
as efficient as possible with your energy usage.
You can easily set a schedule through your phone
to automatically adjust the temperature
when you're not home; and you can even monitor
your usage over time and compare your home
to other homes in your area
to see how efficient your schedule at home actually are.
If you're looking to update your HVAC system
or thermostat, this video is sponsored by Trane.
Trane is a leading manufacturer
of heating and air conditioning units for your home,
and this Trane XL824 thermosatat allows you
to monitor and control your home's
temperature and schedule right from your phone or tablet,
and allows you to monitor multiple zones
from a single thermostat.
You can also program other smart home devices
off of it, and use the thermostat
as a smart, home hub, allowing you to control
a bunch of different features of your home
from a single device.
Beyond that, the device can also connect
to the Nexia network, which allows you
to get real-time weather updates
and forecasts from your area.
Number four is to clean your HVAC condenser
and change your air filters.
One of the easiest ways to make sure your HVAC system
is functioning properly and not over-working,
is to clean the outside condenser
and change the air filter inside.
To clean your condenser, first make sure
that the power is shut off to the unit
by turning off the power at the disconnect near the unit.
Second, use a Shop-Vac to vacuum
any loose material or debris that may be inhibiting
the cooling coils from working properly.
Next, use a foaming condenser cleaning product
to spray all over the condenser
and let it soak in for about 10 minutes.
Then, just use a hose to spray off the foam
and carry away any dirt and debris that has built up.
After that, you're good to turn the power
back on at the disconnect.
You should do this about once a year
to make sure your condenser is clean and working properly.
Also, while you're at it, make sure
that there are no plants or obstructions
within about 12 inches all around the unit
that make it hard for the unit to breathe properly.
If there are, make sure to trim all those back.
Changing your interior filter is really simple.
Just find your air intake for your unit
and replace it with the proper size filter.
You can find the size you need written right
on the side of the previous filter that you're replacing.
I recommend you do this around every three to six months.
And number five is to replace old, single pane windows
with new, energy star rated options.
Adding replacement windows, or updating windows
around your home during a remodel project
is a great way to improve the overall
energy efficiency of your home.
Old, single-pane windows allow the heat of the sun's rays
to radiate into the home,
which can significantly raise the interior temperature,
which means your AC system needs
to work harder to cool the home.
New double-pane windows have an insulating gas
between the panes, which allows for less heat energy
to transfer into the home, and thus,
are much more energy efficient.
Talk to a local window expert who can help you
make the decision on what types of windows
are right for your home.
So, that's it for video.
I hope you guys enjoyed it,
and I hope it helps you get
your home's energy consumption under control.
Not only will it help save you some money,
but it will also lessen your environmental impact.
If you are considering making some
energy efficient improvements to your home,
I recommend looking at your local utility company's website.
Often times you can find rebates for
energy efficient upgrades to your home
that can help offset those initial costs.
I'd like to thank the Trane team for sending
over the thermostat I installed in this video
and for making this video possible.
If you'd like some more information
on additional energy efficient upgrades
you can do around your home, make sure you guys check out
Trane's website at the link down below.
Thank you guys for watching,
and if it's your first time visiting the channel,
please hit that subscribe button,
and also hit that notification bell,
so you never miss out on any of the new content I put out.
And, as always, I encourage you
to leave me a comment down below
and let me know what types of energy improvements
you're trying to make around your home.
Thanks so much for watching.
I'll see you next time.
(up-tempo music)