3 easy ways to save energy in your bathroom

When it comes to your home, there are all kinds of ways you can make sure that the space consumes as little energy as possible. This will be especially important as we get further into summer, as homeowners will likely be spending more money on air conditioning and other ways to keep the entire household cool. While your bathroom should be an oasis – a place where you can escape from the stresses of everyday life – it should also be a space where your power is consumed in smart and efficient ways. You can make any of these changes without having to break the bank.

The best thing about improving the energy efficiency of your bathroom will be the amount of money that you save on your monthly utility payments. Even with the smallest possible changes, you will see the amount of power that your home regularly consumes – as well as what it will cost you each month – fall. There will also be an added benefit for the environment, as a home that produces less carbon dioxide will have a smaller negative impact on the planet. This is welcome news, especially as attention has been intensely focused on the threats posed by global climate change. Any positive influences on an individual level help greatly.

Here are a few ways you can save energy in your bathroom:

• Fix the leaks: If you have an annoying leak in your bathroom, whether it is from the showerhead or the sink, you should fix it as soon as possible. Not only will the annoying dripping noise keep haunting you at night, it will actually cost you money each year. Hot water that drips out of the sink can cost the average household over $50 annually, which might not seem like a substantial amount until you add it up over time. The amount of wasted gallons of water also quickly adds up, especially for a problem that can be so easily repaired.
• Invest in new lighting: The best way to save energy in your bathroom is by focusing on the lighting. New LED or CFL bulbs will be your best option, as they are the models that will produce the greatest amount of light for the smallest amount of energy. While these fixtures might be a little bit on the pricier side when you first buy them, they are guaranteed to save you money over the long run. New light bulbs will also freshen up the look of your bathroom, adding an important aesthetic appeal as well as a functional purpose.
• Seal the windows: Your bathroom windows should be tightly sealed at all times, just as the rest of the windows in your household. You should check for any air leaks around them, to be sure that there is no air escaping from the interior of the room to the outside world. If you find that there is a leak, you should seal it as soon as you can, in order to prevent any more wasted cool air from going out through the tiny cracks.

If you are a Maryland resident and want to learn more ways that you can make your bathroom – as well as the rest of your home – a more energy-efficient space, be sure to schedule an energy audit today with leading home inspection company Alban Inspections today!

New England has always been one of the most progressive parts of the country when it comes to energy efficiency, except for one state in particular – New Hampshire. Unlike its surrounding states, New Hampshire has always lagged a little bit behind when it comes to updating its energy policies in order to protect the environment and reduce the state's power bills. Well now this is all likely to change, thanks to the efforts of state officials.

Meredith Hatfield, New Hampshire's director of the Office of Energy and Planning as well as the chairwoman of the NH Energy Advisory Council, is currently working on the development of a new 10​-year plan that would greatly improve energy efficiency benchmarks throughout the entire state. While speaking at a public hearing in Portsmouth on Tuesday, June 24, Hatfield gave a few broad ideas of the changes that are going to be implemented over the next decade.

What Hatfield strongly recommends for New Hampshire is the creation of an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard, a number that all utilities will have to meet. New Hampshire is currently the only state in New England that lacks one of these standards, something that Hatfield wants to fix. She also wants to create a "green bank", which would function as a public trust used to fund green energy products across the entire state.

According to studies cited by Hatfield at the hearing, New Hampshire currently loses out on over $330 million in energy savings and economic growth each year, something that she believes can change with the help of other committed government officials.

No matter where you live in the country, energy efficiency is important both for the environment and your bank account. Schedule an energy audit with Alban Inspections today to see how you can improve your home's power consumption habits!

Although many parts of President Barack Obama's Climate Action Plan will not take effect for at least a few more years, the administration has already taken some immediate steps to help the country improve how it consumes energy. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced new standards that would help furnace fans become more energy-efficient. This move is designed to help Americans save on their annual utility bills as well as their impact on the environment.

According to numbers released by the DOE, residential furnace fans consume roughly 1,000 kilowatt-hours per year, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while keeping homes cool or warm. The new standards set forth by the federal agency seek to reduce the combined amount of carbon emitted by 46 percent over the next 15 years. The DOE says that by the year 2030, homeowners will have saved a combined $9 billion on electricity payments, as well as cut carbon emissions by 34 million metric tons.

"These standards help Americans save money by saving energy while also protecting the environment. The Energy Department will continue to develop standards that move the U.S. closer to its low carbon future, while also protecting our kids' health and slowing the effects of climate change," U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a public statement.

Energy efficiency is going to be important for homeowners in the future, as a way to both help protect the environment and reduce monthly energy payments. If you are a Maryland resident interested in knowing how you can improve your own home's power consumption, be sure to schedule an energy audit today with leading home inspection company Alban Inspections!

According to a new report from the World Bank and the ClimateWorks Foundation, the global economy would greatly benefit from governments that implement strong energy efficiency policies. Projections from these organizations say that, by taking energy efficiency seriously, global GDP can rise by up to $2.6 trillion annually by the end of 2030.

The World Bank and ClimateWorks Foundation focused on only a handful of nations while conducting its study – Brazil, Mexico, China, India, the United States and the European Union. The report measures what benefits and advantages these countries would experience by creating and enforcing laws that limit carbon dioxide emissions and curtail other pollutants from being released into the air.

In addition to the major economic impact these policies would have – increasing global GDP from $1.8 to $2.6 trillion each year – there would also be very positive health effects. According to predictions, having cleaner air would prevent as many as 94,000 premature deaths annually that are pollution-related. If enacted, these laws would be equivalent of taking 2 billion cars off of the road.

The World Bank estimates that, in the last decade alone, more than $200 billion has been lost due to global climate change-related weather events. By putting firm laws in place, the world would actually be following President Obama's recently announced goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030, effectively curbing rising temperatures and climate change effects.

As a Maryland resident, there is plenty you can do on a personal level to have a more positive impact on the environment. If you want to find out how your home could be using power in better ways, schedule an energy audit today with Alban Inspections!

In recent weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its energy efficiency objectives has been all over the news. At the beginning of June, the Obama administration announced new goals to reduce the country's total carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030. On Monday, June 23, the Supreme Court issued a new ruling that mostly upheld the legal regulatory authority of the EPA under the Clean Air Act.

Not content to be left out of all the environmental action, the third branch of the federal government took steps that would help improve energy efficiency throughout the country. Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two separate bills that each target the issue of energy consumption in distinctly different ways. One bill – HR 4092 – is looking to improve schools while the other – HR 4801 – is going to fund a study that would investigate the impact of thermal insulation.

HR 4092, if passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama, would create a specific office within the Department of Energy that would help create and coordinate federal, state and local programs to help school buildings all across the country consume less energy. According to those in Congress, schools spend a combined total of $6 billion each year on power, which is their second largest expense, trailing only personnel costs.

"Well-designed energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce or stabilize these costs," said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill), who co​-authored the thermal insulation research bill. The purpose of that legislation is to see what its impact will be on energy and water use within government buildings.

If you are a Maryland resident interested in having a home that consumes less power, schedule an energy audit today with Alban Inspections!

The Obama administration has been making headlines in recent weeks by expanding the regulatory powers of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the president's final few years in office. While the goals of reducing the country's overall carbon emissions by 30 percent within the next 15 years have not been put into action yet, the Supreme Court limited the only program already in place designed to help the environment.

On the morning of Monday, June 23, the Supreme Court announced its split ruling in the case of Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency. In the court's 5-4 decision, the conservative wing of the court ruled that the Obama administration had overstepped its legal authority with its interpretation of the Clean Air Act. The EPA lacks the power to force companies to apply for greenhouse gas emissions permits if they are in an industry that does not require federal government oversight.

While this decision has certainly been a blow to the environmental movement, it is not all bad news – this ruling will not affect the Obama administration's plans to create first-time national standards of greenhouse gas emissions for new and existing power plants. The court ruled that the EPA does have the legal authority to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions from industries that are required to get permits for their pollutants.

Although the court did not come to a complete consensus in this case, Justice Antonin Scalia – writing for the majority – says that the EPA was, "Getting almost everything it wanted in this case." According to Scalia, the EPA will still be able to regulate 83 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions under this ruling, instead of the original goal of 86 percent.

If you are a Virginia resident interested in reducing the amount of power your home consumes, make an appointment for an energy audit today with Alban Inspections!

Over the course of the summer, you are likely going to be looking for ways to consume less energy on a daily basis. By making your home a more efficient space, you will be able to save money each month on your utility bills, something that will be increasingly important as you rely on your air conditioning unit. Creating a more energy-efficient home will not only be good for your bank account, but it will also have a very positive impact on the environment. The best part is, you do not have to break the bank in order to make these changes.

Here are a few ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your house:

• Keep your windows open at night: Even during the summer, the temperatures at night usually drop to comfortable sleeping temperatures. You should take advantage of this by turning off your air conditioning unit at night and letting your house be cooled down by the environment.
• Only use cold water: While you are washing loads of your clothing, you should not use hot water. It takes up a lot of energy for the machine to heat up the water for a single cycle, which is an unnecessary use of power and water. Cold water can get your clothes just as clean while using only a fraction of the energy.
• Unplug your electronics: Even when a machine or other device is off, it will still suck up power if it is plugged into the wall. When something is not in use, you should make sure that you detach it from the outlet. This is an unnecessary waste of money and power.

If you are looking for other ways to improve the efficiency of your house, schedule an energy audit with Alban Inspections today!

Despite the Obama administration announcing plans to strengthen the regulatory powers of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, some states are not going to be following suit. Ohio, which previously passed lauded regulations that increase the state's energy efficiency portfolio each year, recently saw these laws undone by Governor John Kasich (R) and the state legislature.

In 2008, the Ohio government passed laws that required electric companies to sell wind and solar power each year, increasing the amount sold each successive year. Opponents of this law claim that it places an unnecessary financial burden on residents of the state, while proponents say that it is beneficial for the environment. Now, the matter will be studied more closely due to Senate Bill 310, which was signed into law by Kasich on June 14.

The new law temporarily halts the incremental increases of the energy efficiency mandates. Instead of increasing over the next two years, the clean power levels will be held at 2014 numbers through at least the end of 2017. During this time, the state government will study whether putting a permanent end to these mandates or continuing them will be the best course of action. Kasich​'s spokespeople said that it is important for all information to be known before moving forward.

"Ohio needs more renewable and alternative energy sources and it needs a strong system to support them as they get started," press secretary Rob Nichols said in a statement. "It's naive, however, to think that government could create that system perfectly the first time and never have to check back to see if everything's OK."

Maryland residents should schedule an energy audit today with Alban Inspections, in order to learn how you can alter your home so that it consumes energy in smarter and cheaper ways.