It is best to use the services of professionals to plan and make yours an energy efficient home
. However you can get started on improving the energy efficiency by yourself. There are many ways by which you can reduce the amount of energy used in your home.
For example exhaust fans during winter also throw out warm air. Therefore if they are required to be used to remove air from the bathroom or the kitchen they should be used sparingly. Otherwise in as little as an hour they can throw out a huge quantity of warm air.
Another simple to implement method of saving energy is to use CFL (Compact fluorescent lights), these consume far less energy for generating the same amount of light. Incandescent bulbs also do not last as long as CFL and therefore though a CFL costs more than an incandescent bulb in the long run it makes better sense to use a CFL. You will benefit from a reduced electricity bill for the rest of your life.
A regularly serviced furnace also helps save energy. Energy efficient homes have furnaces that are serviced in time and the filters replaced as and when required. Clean filters will perform more efficiently then unclean ones. Pleated filters though more expensive perform better and therefore are a better option.
Another easy to implement improvement is a thermostat that can be programmed. You do not need a very warm house when there is no one at home. With a programmable thermostat you can maintain an optimal temperature that saves you money without lowering comfort levels.
Finally you should also spend some time looking for air leaks in doors and windows. The small leaks all over the house add up and you can be wasting a lot of energy. You can devise simple methods to plug the leaks and when a more comprehensive upgrade is done you can look to have doors and windows that do not have leaks at all.
A little effort will go a long way in improving the energy efficiency of your home. It will make you and your family sensitive to the importance of conserving energy as well. You can learn more at www.advancedhomeenergy.com.