Ever since my husband first moved into our current home – a house built in the 1960s – we’ve been in a constant battle to create a smart home that was more energy efficient. And we’ve found that creating an energy efficient home isn’t as hard as we thought. It just takes a little time… and sometimes a little money.

But the outcome of creating a smart home has actually allowed us to save money each month on our energy bill and gives us a little satisfaction knowing we aren’t wasting precious resources.

Below are a few great tips to help create an energy efficient smart home of your own. Some tips are easy, inexpensive fixes, and others take a little more time and money.

4 Tips for a Smart Home: Creating an Energy Efficient Home

1. Unplug –

You’d think something as little as unplugging appliances and electronics you’re using would be common knowledge but even I had devices plugged in that I hadn’t used in weeks (like the charger to the camera).

Now I’m more aware of what is plugged in and I consciously unplug devices I’m not continually using. And for the devices that I have plugged in all the time, like my computer and printer, I use a nifty smart strip to help conserve energy.

2. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances

This one was a no-brainer for our family but it took a while for us to actually switch everything over. And we still haven’t purchased an energy efficient washer and dryer. But we’ve come to find some great rebates out there for energy efficient appliances.

When our old dishwasher finally bit the dust and my husband was unable to fix it so we jumped in and purchased an energy efficient one. Luckily there was a great sale at Sears Outlet AND there was a rebate through the energy company. Win win!

Another great big purchase is energy efficient windows and insulating the house. We had old, single pane windows in our home and I could feel the hot or cold air coming in and out of our home through the windows and the walls.

3. Seal the Gaps

I’ve come to find that sometimes the simplest of solutions can be the cheapest. By using weather stripping on windows and doors, switching out lights, and purchasing a programmable thermostat for the home.

By sealing the gaps, and making sure that the temperature inside the house is regulated, you can make sure that the energy you are using isn’t wasted.

4. Go Solar

A great way to become more energy efficient is to create our own energy. Since we live in Southern California we have a surplus of sunny days. And recently we had someone come out and talk about our solar options.

We realized that it isn’t as much as we thought to add solar to our home and there quite a few options available to us. Plus there are great rebates that help reduce the cost of the solar panels even more. Check with your city or county to see if they’re offering these great rebates.

How do you create an energy efficient home?