When talking about home energy efficiency, most people focus on the inside of their house. This means caulking air leaks around doors, using LED bulbs and switching to efficient appliances, among others.
A truly energy-saving home, however, is also efficient on the outside. There might be things in your backyard that guzzle energy without you knowing, whether it’s your pool or garden lights. So, you have to pay attention to how your outdoor living space uses energy to lower your bills and increase your savings.
Follow these easy ways to reduce energy consumption in your yard.
- Install insulated patio roofing
An insulated roof keeps your patio from getting overly hot, especially during summer. It makes the heat bounce of its surface instead of absorbing it to keep your patio cool and comfortable. Having insulation on your porch means you’re less likely to use fans when you’re outside, thus lowering your energy bills.
If you’re converting your deck to a workspace or any other functional space, the benefits far outweigh the cost of insulated patio roofing. Your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard to maintain your preferred temperature, which can increase your energy savings.
- Research energy-efficient lighting options
Switch your outdoor lights for energy-efficient ones, just as you would for your indoor lights. You can opt for either LED or solar-powered bulbs.
LED garden lights, even though they’re the more expensive investment, are more cost-effective in the long run. LED bulbs use 75 per cent less energy than halogen ones and last up to 10 times longer. According to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, replacing 10 halogen lights with LED can save you around $650 over 10 years.
Solar lights, on the other hand, don’t cost anything to run, offsetting the cost of each bulb. The common complaint around solar-powered lights is that they’re not as bright as traditional ones. Luckily, today’s models have better solar storage capacity and power, so they can illuminate your garden adequately.
- Plant shady trees
Plant trees with thick canopies on the east side of your house diffuse direct sunlight, reducing the heat absorbed by your home. Light would be able to pass through the leaves, so you can still enjoy a good amount of natural light.
Trees are especially beneficial if you live in a city that sees mostly hot, sunny days and not much rain.
- Switch to an energy-efficient pool pump
Over a million houses in the country have swimming pools. In these homes, the pool pump is the largest electricity spender, taking up about 18 per cent of the bill. Pool pumps guzzle electricity more than your washing machine, dryer and dishwater combined, so it’s prudent to switch to an energy-saving one.
The most efficient pool pumps are those that run on more than one speed. This way, you can run your pump slowly while filtering the pool to consume less energy or speed it up as necessary.
Apart from these four methods, there are other ways to make your outdoor space energy-efficient. You can switch to an artificial lawn, use manual instead of outdoor power tools and cultivate drought-resistant plants. Try to pinpoint which feature in your yard consumes the most electricity so you can find an eco-friendlier alternative for it.
If you want to learn more about improving or refurbishing your patio, browse through the Just Patios blog. Just Patios is a trusted builder of patios and other outdoor enclosures in the Sunshine Coast so you can maximise your outdoor living space.
Call us today to know more about our services.