The Early Bird’s Guide to Saving Energy When Moving to a New Home

Spring isn’t here.

…But down here in Texas, it will be soon.

And spring usually means homebuyers are out and about. Perhaps you may even shop for your first home.

However, even new homes suffer from energy inefficiency. In some cases, this can even be quite large.

So as you shop, make sure you do your due diligence on energy bills and use. And when you find the right home and move in, prepare to increase your energy efficiency further with these improvements:

1. Upgrade CFLs to LEDs
   
   Nearly every home has CFLs now. They give you the greatest energy efficiency gains, when compared to incandescents.But, you can stretch your energy savings even further by installing LEDs. They’re coming down in price, and you can often get them on sale at a reasonable cost.
2. What the Smell?
   
   The new house you move into may smell kind of musty. Perhaps you didn’t notice this when you first gave it a look.Don’t worry. It’s far from the end of the world.

   You could simply have an old filter in your HVAC system. Not only could changing that filter get rid of the smell, but it improves your energy efficiency too.

3. Make Sure You Have a Competent Contractor Do the Work
   
   Hopefully, you don’t need to hire a new contractor to take care of any fixes. But if you do, make sure you search long and thoroughly before finally making a decision.Research firm McKinsey & Company notes 90% of contractors install energy efficiency upgrades “suboptimally.”

   In other words, there’s more room for improvement and energy efficiency in most cases.

4. Make Sure You Have Energy Star Rated Appliances
   
   An Energy Star seal of approval almost guarantees the appliances you’re acquiring are highly energy-efficient. Make sure your appliances have approval from Energy Star.Also, make sure you have a programmable thermostat. And if you want to do even better, install a smart thermostat.
5. Is Your Home’s Air Envelope Sealed Well?
   
   This improvement doesn’t have a large associated cost. So, it’s worth investigating. No one can seal 100% of cracks and leaks that let air in or out of your home. But, a skilled contractor can get nearly all of those.

And your energy efficiency will noticeably improve as a result. You may also find your home feeling more comfortable throughout the year too.

Every home, even the newest homes, has at least minor energy efficiency upgrades that can be made.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for opportunities as you shop for homes in the spring.