Have you seen the utility bills lately? Of course you have. And you had to give them a second reading because you just couldn’t believe the expense that lighting up, cooling and heating our homes has become.

But instead of just grumbling and saving up for the next bill, you can do your bit to save energy and lower your bills. Right in your own home, you can do a lot to reduce your consumption – from using your roof to generate energy to buying energy-saving appliances and lights, you can take various initiatives that are not only good for the environment but also, in the short and long term, easy on your wallet.

Admittedly, turning your home into an energy-efficient space doesn’t come cheap. However, over time, the savings that you make from lower utility bills will pay for the cost of improvements. Not only that, but you’re also increasing the value of your home if you decide to put it on the market.

When improving your home to make it more energy efficient, you need to take a whole-house approach. It’s useless investing in stand-alone systems – everything is connected. If you’re buying a wood-burning stove, for instance, there are ways how to connect it to your bathroom to provide underfloor heating. Also, it’s useless trying to heat your home efficiently when your walls are not well insulated.

But let’s start from the basics – your walls. In an uninsulated home, a third of the heat is lost through the walls. Moreover, in summer, if your walls and roof are exposed to the sun, then you will consume more energy to cool your house. Hidden cracks in your walls can also create airflow, which will push your heating and cooling systems to work harder.

When you insulate your roof and walls, you will reduce heat flow through the ceiling and walls – thus, your house will be cooler in summer and cosier in winter. It is calculated that a house with insulation can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 40 per cent – this, of course, translates into generous savings on your utility bills as well as less pollution.

Windows can also contribute to energy savings. Double-glazed windows can maintain a more stable temperature inside your home. If the cost is too prohibitive or you cannot install double-glazed windows, opt for heavy linen curtains, which are also quite effective.

Apart from saving energy, you can also generate your own clean energy. In Malta, we’re blessed with a sun that shines all year round – that means plenty of solar power that’s just waiting to be harnessed. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to invest in a solar water heater. This consists of solar collectors paired with a water storage tank. This system provides hot water after only a few hours of sunlight. Not only are solar water heaters very efficient, but they are also low maintenance. For the days when there is no sunshine, you can heat your water using conventional means – thankfully the days when we have no sunshine are few and far in between.

Another alternative is to invest in photovoltaic panels. These are not cheap – however, government grants and feed-in tariff schemes will help you offset your initial investment in a short time.

Photovoltaic panels vary in price and quality. Make sure that you invest in good quality brands since these tend to be more efficient and are not greatly affected by shade.

Moreover, your photovoltaic panels need to have a good level of heat tolerance and able to resist Malta’s high temperatures. Inverters are a key component in photovoltaic panels since these convert the DC electricity produced by the panels to AC to feed back to your home or to the grid. What you need is an inverter that requires a low DC input since this will enable it to operate for as long as possible during the day. If you live near the sea, make sure that the photovoltaic panels you have chosen are resistant to salt mist corrosion.

However, investing in making your home more energy efficient is not enough. You also need to change your lifestyle to one which reduces energy consumption. It only takes a little effort. When washing clothes, for instance, use the cold water setting.

Also, turn down your geyser thermostat – thermostats are often set to 140˚F, when 120˚F is more than enough. Also, you can wrap your geyser in an insulating jacket.

In the kitchen, use your dishwasher only when you have a full load. Also, there’s no need to turn on the heat in the drying cycle – just allow the dishes to air dry. Don’t leave the refrigerator door open and the refrigerator empty.

Also, carry out the necessary maintenance on your appliances. Clean the air conditioner filters regularly since this can save some five per cent of the energy used. And when changing your appliances, go for more energy-efficient ones – they’re more expensive, but consume less energy.

And remember the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle. They should be the mantra that leads you to a more efficient household and cheaper utility bills.