If you would like to save money and help save the planet, learning to be a less wasteful homeowner is something that everyone can do a little better. There are simple things, such as being more careful about not leaving doors or windows open unnecessarily or turning out lights when nobody is using a room. But there are some updates that you could look into as well. Here are some ideas on where to start your journey to being a less wasteful homeowner.

Complete Green Upgrades

Green upgrades are not limited to just installing solar panels or wind power and calling it good (though those are great ideas as well). There are many upgrades that allow you to conserve energy and save you money without having to think about it.

One such upgrade is energy efficient windows. Energy efficient windows allow light to come through while also helping to keep the ideal temperature in your home. In that way, they can save you money in two ways. They have special properties that help to insulate better than your average window, but they still allow you to use natural lighting to illuminate your home instead of electric bulbs.

Use Your AC Conservatively

Air Conditioning requires a lot of energy and can be very expensive. Analyze how you use your AC, and what small changes you can make to use it more conservatively. Here are some ideas:

• When you’re on vacation, you can set your thermostat to the ideal temperature range to ensure nothing in your home is damaged by extreme temperatures, but so that it doesn’t use more power than necessary.
• Keep the AC down as much as possible (such as at night), and spend more time outside.
• Do not crank your AC down lower than you need it: it doesn’t cool your house down faster and reduces efficiency in your AC unit.
• Circulate the air in rooms using ceiling fans to increase the effectiveness of the AC.

Conserve Water

Wasting water is a big problem in the world today, and it could be costing you on your water bill. But here’s the good news—there is a lot you can do to reduce water waste happening in your own home.

Installing flow reducing faucets and water efficient toilets. Also, think about how much you water your lawn. Is there a landscape you could choose for your yard that would be more water efficient? Repair leaks as soon as you find them, and search for leaks that may not be obvious.

Updating your home to be more energy efficient and less wasteful doesn’t have to be daunting, and hopefully this post has helped give you some ideas of good fixes that will help you save money as well as be less wasteful. Thank you for looking into being a less wasteful homeowner—the world will thank you!