When you worry about your environmental impact, you might decide to consider ways to make your home more ecologically friendly. These 15 tips can help reduce your home’s carbon footprint in Jacksonville.
1. Upgrade to a High-SEER Air Conditioner
You can reduce your home’s carbon footprint by upgrading to a high-SEER air conditioner. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It measures the efficiency of your air conditioner.
Higher SEER ratings indicate a higher level of efficiency. When you make this upgrade, you not only reduce the amount of money you spend on cooling bills each summer. By making sure your air conditioner uses less energy, you place less stress on the grid, which reduces your home’s carbon footprint.
2. Use an ENERGY-STAR-certified HVAC System
ENERGY-STAR-certified heating systems satisfy strict EPA energy efficiency standards. They use less energy while heating or cooling your home.
They also provide you with energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Installing and using one of these systems can reduce the negative effects your home has on the environment.
3. Switch to a Heat Pump
Because energy efficiency reduces your home’s overall carbon footprint, chances are you’ll want to enhance it wherever possible. In addition to getting a system certified by ENERGY STAR, it’s a good idea to look into heat pumps with the certification. Heat pumps are generally more energy-efficient than other HVAC systems because they transfer heat in order to both heat and cool.
4. Schedule Heating and Air Conditioning Seasonal Maintenance
Yearly maintenance on your home’s furnace and cooling system can help both perform more efficiently. An HVAC technician can inspect and clean components like the coils and drain and remove debris from the outdoor unit. By catching issues before they become problems, you can keep your system working efficiently, and in turn, you’ll reduce your environmental impact.
5. Use Low-flow Plumbing Fixtures
Low-flow plumbing fixtures can increase your home’s efficiency and lower its carbon footprint. You can find low-flow fixtures for sink faucets, shower heads, and toilets, among others.
They feature designs that limit water flow to reduce your home’s water consumption. Many modern low-flow fixtures reduce water flow without reducing water pressure alongside it. As a result, you might not even notice a difference in your everyday life, and you’ll reduce your water usage.
6. Inspect and Seal Your Ducts
You can keep your central heating and cooling system working efficiently by having a professional inspect and seal its ducts. Ducts that leak reduce your system’s energy efficiency. Look for cracks or gaps when inspecting the ducts.
Sealed ducts help the air from your AC or furnace reach its intended destination in your home. Less conditioned air will leak out of your ductwork. Plus, it prevents unconditioned air from getting into the ducts and modifying the air’s temperature. As a result, your system won’t have to strain to make up for the discrepancy, reducing the amount of energy it needs to use.
7. Use a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat can increase your home’s HVAC efficiency. You can customize temperature schedules that align with your daily routine. For example, you can program it to raise the air conditioner’s temperature when you are not home or sleeping and then lower it when you get home from work or wake up for the day. Instead of wasting energy keeping your home cool when nobody is home, programming your thermostat can keep your home comfortable while still saving energy.
8. Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat
Like programmable thermostats, smart thermostats promote better energy efficiency and reduce home carbon footprints. You can still program them, but they have advanced features. For instance, many smart thermostats are compatible with home assistants such as Amazon Alexa. Most if not all of them allow you to control them via smartphone whether you’re home or not, too, so it’s not as big an issue if you forget to program your thermostat or change its settings.
Some smart thermostats can even learn your habits and adjust your HVAC usage to maximize energy efficiency.
9. Insulate Your Home
Most homes in the United States are insulated, but it could be worth having that insulation inspected to ensure it’s still in good condition. Insulate key areas like the attic, floors, and walls. This measure slows down the process of heat transfer, meaning that your home will stay at its temperature longer.
Essentially, insulation can help reduce the load put on your HVAC system. It lowers your home’s reliance on your AC or furnace to maintain your home’s indoor comfort, in turn reducing utility bills and carbon footprint.
10. Install Solar Panels
Solar panels can also make your home in Florida more energy efficient. They generate electricity to power your home’s HVAC system. They can lower your home’s reliance on fossil fuels, save you money on heating and cooling your home, and lower your home’s carbon footprint.
11. Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans enhance your home’s comfort while lowering your dependency on your heating and air conditioning system. They help circulate air and lessen your HVAC load.
During the summer, you can use your ceiling fans to create cool breezes by ensuring they turn counterclockwise. You may even be able to set your air conditioner a few degrees higher by using a ceiling fan to help cool your home.
In the winter, you can run your ceiling fan in the opposite direction. This tip helps distribute warm air throughout your home. That way, you can set your furnace a few degrees cooler to minimize energy use and your home’s environmental impact.
12. Close Your Curtains and Blinds
This simple tip can significantly reduce your home’s AC energy use. When you close your curtains and blinds during the hottest part of the day, you help keep the indoor air temperature in your home cooler. You reduce heat gain and prevent your air conditioner from overworking.
As you lower your home’s need for AC during the hottest part of the day, you can prevent spikes in your AC bills. You can also reduce the carbon footprint that your home creates.
13. Unplug Appliances
Unplugging unused appliances can reduce your home’s carbon footprint as well. Even when you turn off appliances, they still use energy. Unplugging them prevents them from doing so, translating to lower energy bills and less environmental impact.
14. Seal Your Doors and Windows
When you seal cracks and gaps around your windows and doors, you can enhance your home’s environmental friendliness. Drafts in and around the windows and doors lead to energy loss. They also cause your home’s heating and cooling system to work harder to keep your home comfortable.
Use weatherstripping or caulk to fill in any gaps or cracks. As with your ductwork, sealing windows and doors helps your home’s central HVAC system maintain your home’s indoor air temperature. It reduces the system’s energy load and increases your home’s energy efficiency.
Explore Our Home Carbon Footprint Reduction Options
We have close to 60 years of experience helping Florida homeowners increase their homes’ energy efficiency. Our technicians can perform an energy audit for your home to determine what measures you can take to reduce its carbon footprint. They can also install new plumbing and HVAC fixtures, such as a smart thermostat or low-flow shower head, to save money and reduce your home’s energy and water use.
We provide comprehensive heating, cooling, and plumbing services. You can call us or use the online contact form on our website to learn more about our money-back guarantee or request a free estimate.
Our team provides HVAC and plumbing solutions and energy audits to reduce your Jacksonville home’s carbon footprint. Contact us today to learn more!
