Running a household is certainly not the easiest thing in the world, and as such it deserves more preparations. It’s one of the things that first shatters our dreams and brings us back to reality when we fly off the nest and become independent. For me it was definitely the aspect that made me think the life of a grown-up is not as amazing as it seemed to be back when I saw it through teenager eyes. However, unlike decades ago, nowadays we can rely on technology to help us out so it’s slightly different than life years back.
When it comes to the household, proper managing doesn’t just refer to buying groceries, cooking, cleaning and paying the bills, but rather the ways you can manage to wisely reduce those bills too. Let’s take energy for instance, I hear a lot of people complain about the amount of electricity bills they pay, taking cooling and heating into account, and yet they take no measures in reducing them so here are the steps I took that helped me with this problem and hopefully they’d help you out as well.
First things first, consider the power of thermal imaging cameras. These sophisticated devices have the ability to transform thermal energy into light due to the thermal sensitivity detecting even the smallest of temperature differences which are then processed and captured as images and shown on the display. I know what you’re asking yourself: weren’t they created for army use? They were, but their efficiency has made them useful at home too which is why they’re often used for home thermographic inspections.
You can carry out such an inspection both with the interior and exterior, though I prefer the interior one as weather conditions can interfere with the exterior check-up. You’d be surprised to find out exactly how much heat loss is actually occurs, be it through doors, windows or walls thanks to building defects, including the machine systems that generate way more heat than they ought to. If you want to detect air leaks and heat loss and treat them in time, thermal imaging cameras are the must-have tools you can count on.
Next, have you thought of upgrading your lighting? The trend of LEDs is a no-brainer considering LED bulbs turn on instantly, there’s reduced heat emission so you’d save on cooling, and they can save you more than 30% of energy right upon the upgrading. Goodbye high annual energy expenses! Once I upgraded to LEDs, I found out how eco friendly they are, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and not containing toxic mercury, and that makes me more than happy knowing I do something good for the environment.
Last but not least, if you don’t like curtains or window treatments, or have removed them from your home, it’s time to give them another chance. Whether it’s curtains, blinds or shades, you can bet you’d notice positive changes with heating and cooling. When you get the optimal energy efficiency you can say you know how to manage the household well and following these steps, you sure would.
