Have you noticed your energy costs rising in the summer? If you’re having to turn your air conditioning higher to compensate for the muggy outdoor air, you’re not alone. Using your AC more than usual is typical and can lead to higher energy bills, but if your home’s monthly energy costs are rising year over year, the root cause may be your home itself. A home made without modern energy-efficient products simply can’t hold up to the energy savings—and comfort—you’ll find using modern replacement products.
Learning how efficient your home is can be tracked fairly quickly. Depending on how much electricity you use on a monthly basis, you may even discover another energy provider that could work better for your household!
Look on your energy provider’s site or give them a call to learn local energy rates. As of February 2022, the average energy rate for residential properties in Muscle Shoals is 13.15 cents per kWh (kilowatt-hour). This is slightly lower than the national average, which is 14.77 cents per kWh. Your individual rate may vary depending on how much electricity you use, so checking with your provider and taking a look at your past energy bills can help determine whether you’re on track with the average.
Your home itself could be impacting your energy rates, especially if you live in an older home that hasn’t been updated recently. Cool or hot air from the outdoors leaks in through poorly-insulated siding, doors and windows, creating more work for your HVAC system. This additional work for your HVAC directly impacts your energy bills, so replacing older home exterior products is an important part of aiding your energy efficiency.
With modern replacement products, energy efficiency is part of the construction process. This means many elements of your home’s exterior, from siding to doors to windows, are built to help offload your energy costs through innovative design. Even something like a garage door could impact your energy costs.
Here’s what you can expect from various energy-efficient home replacement products.
High-quality windows are made to help your walls keep outdoor elements at bay. With window spacers acting as insulating units and energy-efficient glass keeping unwanted temperatures outside, energy-efficient windows can add up to 5% savings for your energy bills.
As a portal between the indoors and outdoors, new replacement doors can play a key role in keeping your home insulated. Look for advanced weatherstripping for insulation, a solid thermal barrier core in the door itself and, if your ideal door has glass in it, energy-efficient glass to keep external temperatures out.
Yes, even siding has a part in your home’s overall energy efficiency! As the final barrier between your walls and the outdoors, sturdy siding wraps your home in a thick shield of insulation. As a bonus, this also helps reduce noise pollution outdoors from entering your home!
Replacing your home’s exterior products can make a big difference in not only your energy bills, but also your HVAC’s performance and even longevity. By giving an extra boost to energy efficiency, virtually every inch of your home’s exterior can help make getting monthly bills a little easier.
Ready to replace your windows, doors or opt for vinyl siding? Get your free estimate and find out how much more you could be saving (while also lowering your carbon footprint!).