Energy efficiency projects for those 60-degree days

You might still have to grab a jacket before you go outdoors, but the weather outside beats the frigid days of winter by a country mile. After a cold season of feeling cooped up, who could blame you for feeling positively itchy to get out and tackle a few household projects?

The good news is that you can put all that antsy energy to work and save on your home’s energy use. We’ve got a few projects that will get you outdoors and help you make your home more energy efficient all at the same time. Read on to learn more.

Update Your Outdoor Lighting
Whether your outdoor lights are decorative or for security purposes, a 60-degree day is the perfect time to get outside and update your fixtures. First, we recommend replacing all your outdoor light bulbs with energy efficient LEDs. LEDs use less energy and last longer—a winning combination if we ever heard one.

Next, it’s a good idea to make sure those lights don’t just run 24/7. If they’re purely decorative, we’d recommend installing a timer that can help regulate how long they’re left on. If you’re using the lights for a bit of added security, you can still save energy by adding motion sensors that will trigger when there’s activity. Your home stays safe, but it takes less energy.

Check Your Insulation
For most of us, winter means our attics turn into a chilly No-Man’s Land where you’d like to spend as little time as possible. But now that things are starting to warm up again, this might be a great time to get up there and poke around—especially if you noticed your home had a hard time keeping warm this winter.

See, the insulation in your attic can make a big difference to your home’s ability to regulate temperature. And although it might not seem as critical this time of year, now that the weather’s getting nicer again, the truth is your home’s energy efficiency can always benefit from a properly insulated attic.

Learn all about insulation—and how to know if you need more of it.

Switch on that AC
It might seem counterintuitive to turn on your air conditioner this time of year, but there’s a good reason for it—spring is the slow season in the HVAC industry, and if your air conditioning unit is having trouble now is a great time to get it fixed.

After you’ve switched it on, take a walk outside and make sure everything seems to be working properly. If there’s trouble with the fan, drainage, or airflow, you may want to have someone out to take a look.

In fact, even if there isn’t anything visibly wrong, there’s still someone we think you should call: your Energy Advisor. That’s because, in addition to checking out your HVAC system, your Energy Advisor can do a free inspection of your home and offer suggestions on what you can do to save energy.

So what are you waiting for? If spring fever has you antsy, contact us and schedule your free assessment.