With rising inflation impacting the cost of pretty much everything we need and use in our daily lives, it’s no wonder that homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to lower the amount of energy they use to heat and cool their homes. Plus, conserving energy helps reduce a household’s carbon footprint in the battle against climate change. Here are four ways you can reduce energy consumption in your home.

Seal the gaps
When windows and exterior doors are installed, they’re sealed in place with caulking. Over time, that caulking dries out and shrinks, exposing gaps around the frames where air can leak into or out of your home. Inspect ground-level windows from outside and upper-level ones from the inside to see if you spot any gaps. A reasonably skilled DIYer can remove the old caulking and reseal with new. Or hire a pro to do the job for you.

Invest in efficient lighting
If you haven’t already made the switch, you should consider swapping out old incandescent lightbulbs for LEDs, CFLs or halogen bulbs. LEDs are the most energy efficient option, using only a fraction of the energy of incandescent lights. Incandescent bulbs also give off heat. Replacing them will help lower your cooling costs in the summer.

Install a smart thermostat
Heating and cooling are the largest consumers of energy in the home. So, it makes sense to focus on ways to reduce the amount of energy your HVAC system consumes. With a programable thermostat you can set the cooling (or heating) to decrease while you’re asleep or while the house is empty during the day, and then kick in to your comfort level just before you wake up or arrive back home.

Measure and manage your consumption
The only way to truly understand where and how you’re using energy around the home is by using a monitoring system, such as Wiser Energy. While the system can be used on its own, you can pair it with Wi-Fi enabled switches. This allows you to use your smartphone to turn devices on and off using an app. With such detailed information in hand, you can make adjustments to your lifestyle at home to reduce your monthly bills.

Learn more about home energy monitoring at se.com/ca/en/home/smart-home/wiser