Energy Conservation vs. Energy Efficient Home Systems in Sarasota

Conserving energy and using energy more efficiently are important topics for homeowners who desire lower utility bills without sacrificing comfort. To enhance your money saving efforts, learn to differentiate between conservation and efficiency for your Sarasota home.

Conservation vs. Efficiency

• Energy conservation can be seen as cutting back on energy usage, such as turning down the thermostat a little more when you would rather not. It’s saving energy with a loss of service.
• To be energy efficient, new technologies and system upgrades are now built in, saving energy, without a loss of quality.

For instance, sealing air leaks and adding insulation to prevent heat gain and loss lightens the load on your heat pump or HVAC. This example also serves to show why using both energy conservation and energy efficient measures are very important, since home systems and energy savings are connected.

Energy Conservation Tasks

Following are ideas you may consider for energy conservation:

• Use a programmable thermostat to help better manage your turn back and turn up periods for reducing heating and cooling costs.
• Install low-flow shower heads and aerators to reduce hot water usage. Use the energy-saving setting when clothes washing and dish washing.

Energy Efficiency Tasks

Consider the following energy efficiency ideas for great results.

• Look for Energy Star qualified heat pumps and HVAC systems next time you’re upgrading. Keep efficiency high of current systems by scheduling annual professional maintenance.
• Wrap hot water pipes with insulation sleeves.
• Seal air leaks around windows, doors and the attic hatch. Check insulation in the attic. It should be at least 12 inches for our Sarasota region.
• Replace old incandescent lighting with LEDs. You’ll save as much as 80 percent energy and LEDs last 25 times longer.

For more energy-saving advice about energy conservation vs. energy efficiency ideas in your Sarasota area home, please contact All American Heating & Cooling today.