Home Energy Efficiency for the Backyard.

Round about this time of year, we all get psyched to start spending a little more time outside: grilling, chilling, etc.

While we’re not thinking a lot about home energy consumption when we’re hanging in the back yard, the truth is that there are a bunch of quick and easy upgrades you can make to your outdoor haven to save money and cut your dependence on dirty fuel sources -- all while making your yard a cooler place to hang out.

Here are a few:

1) Upgrade your outdoor light fixtures with weather-proof CFLs.

Most compact fluorescent bulbs aren’t designed to work in locations where they’ll be exposed to extreme temperatures or rough weather, but some are. Check out the Philips Outdoor Postlight or the TCP Wet Location Springlamp, and make sure to grab a CFL RecyclePak so you can properly dispose of all your old CFLs when they finally wear out. 

2) Get the cheapest solar power on the market.

You don’t need to invest in a full solar PV system to take advantage of the sun’s power. Solar lights like the Brinkmann Solar Motion-Sensing Security Light and the Brinkmann Solar Accent Garden Light charge up during the day time, and light up when they need to (the LED garden light features a light sensor, so it automatically lights up when it gets dark). Smart, efficient, affordable. The ambient glow from the garden light is enough to light your paths and provide ambience without keeping your neighbors awake, and the security light is sufficient to keep out the burglars (and help you get to the door without tripping over your garden tools). Also, be sure to check our aging post about why the Brinkmann garden lamp is the best solar garden light in the world.

3) Install timers or motion sensors on your outdoor lights.

Both of these options have been around forever, and we usually think of them more for their convenience and common-sense than for their energy saving capabilities. But not leaving all of your outdoor lights on all night long can save a ton of energy (especially when you consider how often we forget to switch off the outdoor lights during the day, because we can't tell that they're on). An all-in-one solution that we dig is this solar powered, motion-detecting security light from Brinkmann. 

4) Crank-powered fun.

Spring means games. Fun ones. Like my personal favorite when I was a kid: running around in the woods, raising hell. At night. Just be sure, if your kids go running around at night, that they're equipped with a flashlight that won't leave them stranded and lightless. Crank powered flashlights won't do that. 

5) Landscaping for Comfort.

But it's not all about the gadgets.  In fact, by far the biggest energy hogs in your house are the heating and cooling systems, and you can reduce that load by a significant portion by incorporating strategic landscaping into your energy efficiency strategy. Trees around your house, for example, shade it in the summer without blocking the sun in the winter. Learn more about how to landscape for energy efficiency here. 

Then again, how about this: next time it's nice out, just shut down everything in your house and go outside. It'll do you some good.