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Energy Efficient Products For Your Home

A modern home design integrates energy efficient products to help homeowners save money, keep up to date on the latest technology, and to minimize environmental impact. While energy efficient products can cost slightly more up front, the future savings make them well worth the investment. Here are just a few things that you can install to make your home more energy efficient.

Low Flow Shower Heads and Faucets

You can save a significant amount of water by switching to low flow shower heads and faucets. Standard showerheads have a 9.5 litres (2.5 gallons) per minute flow rate, whereas a low flow shower head runs at 7.5 litres (1.8 gallons) per minute. It may not seem significant, but a 15-minute shower would use 30 litres less water, every single day. That’s over 900 liters per month per person by switching to a low flow shower head!

The same goes for faucets – you can get the low flow variety with an aerator to get an impressive flow rate of 1.8 litres (0.5 gallons) per minute. And with a reduced water demand, there is less need to run water through your water heater, saving you on energy bills too.

Charging Stations

A common way we lose energy is through ‘vampire’ energy, which is the electricity used by electronics while they are on standby. To stop the flow of this unnecessary energy, a charging station can be used. It’s great for personal electronics like your phone, e-reader, and computer because it’ll charge your devices to full power, and turn off once complete.

Smart Switches

Smart switches reduce electricity usage by automatically turning lights off after a certain period of time, or when motion isn’t detected. You’re still able to control the lights from the wall switch, but you’ll get some added benefits beyond reducing electricity demands – like dimming, or integration with your smart home system.

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are much like programmable thermostats where you’re able to pre-program when you’d like your home to heat or cool, but with added features like a Wifi connection and additional sensors. The Wifi connectivity allows you to control indoor air temperature from your smartphone, which can be handy while at work or on holidays. The additional sensors allow for a zoned system where you can adjust indoor air temperatures by room rather than from one central location.

Energy Saving Apps

There’s an app for just about everything, but energy saving apps are particularly useful if you’re watching your energy consumption. There are apps that give live readings of your energy use, ones that give tips on how to improve your efficiency, ones that graph and give warnings when there are periods of high usage, and many more. Electricity rates have historically gone up, so these apps can help you save money in real time.

Smart Fridges and Energy Efficient Appliances

Just like smart thermostats, smart fridges are far better at managing temperatures than their traditional counterparts. A smart fridge is able to sense if it doesn’t need to run a defrost cycle, or if it’s appropriate to cycle for a shorter period based on the amount of food stored.

Additionally, any appliances like your microwave, toaster, and stove should be Energy Star certified products. These appliances offer significant savings in operation, often saving you enough money to pay for the appliance in just a few months.