{"id":574,"date":"2014-12-29T13:50:19","date_gmt":"2014-12-29T18:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/?p=574"},"modified":"2017-12-15T14:46:36","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T19:46:36","slug":"energy-efficient-resolutions-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/energy-efficient-resolutions-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy-Efficient Resolutions for the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Tis the season for New Year\u2019s resolutions, and while most people focus on resolutions related to work or personal growth, we\u2019d like to suggest you add in a new category this year. While you\u2019re working on improving your own personal world, why not work on improving the world around you?<\/p>\n

To that end, we\u2019re offering four energy-saving New Year\u2019s Resolutions that will make the world a healthier place, and save money to boot! (I bet that\u2019s on your list too!)<\/p>\n

This year, resolve to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Get a professional home energy audit.<\/b> An energy audit<\/a> is the first step in energy savings. \u00a0A professional will visit and assess your home from top-to-bottom, using the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index<\/a>, which is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. Often they\u2019ll do a \u201cblower door test\u201d and thermographic imaging to pinpoint exactly where energy is escaping. As part of the assessment, they\u2019ll give you suggestions on which upgrades you should consider for the most benefit.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0 Make one energy-efficiency investment a month.<\/b> Even though energy-efficient upgrades pay for themselves over time, there is typically an upfront cost. That\u2019s why you might want to consider spreading out your investments. You can start small: why not get new power strips to help stop the \u2018energy vampires\u2019<\/a> in your home? Next, check into energy-efficient lighting, then a programmable thermostat. Every change you make will add up to significant savings over the not-so-long run.<\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0 Use less.<\/b> This philosophy is so simple, yet so constructive. Using less encompasses using less electricity by turning off the lights when you leave a room; using less water by turning off the tap when you brush your teeth; using less energy by washing your clothes in cold water, rather than hot \u2013 the possibilities are endless. Several mobile apps<\/a> can help you track your energy and water consumption.<\/li>\n
  4. Champion energy savings among your family.<\/b> It\u2019s vital to get the whole family on board, but it will be more effective if you make it fun, rather than nagging them. \u00a0Monitor your progress together, and use your savings for a fun family outing. Keep a chart of small changes every family member can make \u2013 whether it\u2019s unplugging their chargers at night, or putting on a sweater instead of cranking the heat. Make sure they know they are a crucial part of the success of this endeavor and show them how their changes \u2013 big and small \u2013 make a difference.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    They say that a new behavior becomes a habit after two or three months. Stick with your new energy-saving regime \u2013 and your other New Year\u2019s resolutions \u2013 and see how far you have come as spring starts to appear!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This is one set of resolutions you won’t have any trouble keeping. Saving money and making your home more energy efficient are likely high on your resolution list. Here are some tips and hints to keep on top of mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-savings","tag-energy-efficiency"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/12\/iStock_000045534106_Small.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7rbwO-9g","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}