Saving money at home is a priority for most middle income families, but finding practical ways to do it sometimes seems elusive. One of the ways to save money is to save energy. Saving energy reduces utility bills, and that can be substantial given the price of energy these days. We want to help, so here’s four tips that can help you save up for that family vacation package or that new wardrobe you’ve dying for.
1. Seal windows and doors.
When it comes to heating and cooling, the biggest loss of energy comes from poorly sealed doors and windows. You can check out the performance in your house by simply lighting a match and holding the flame near the inside edge of the window or door casing. If the flame flickers, you’ve got air escaping.
An easy and inexpensive way to help with this is to purchase and install insulation kits. They are easy to apply and actually do a nice job if properly installed. If your budget allows, replacing windows and doors with new, energy efficient ones will most certainly yield good energy savings.
2. Insulate water pipes.
In colder climates, uninsulated water pipes cost homeowners more than they know, especially if their house has a crawl space rather than a basement. As hot water flows through cold pipes heat is drawn out of the water. This means that a person taking a shower for example, will turn the water handle more to the hot side. A simple styrofoam insulating tube from your home improvement center will reduce the heat loss significantly.
3. Turn off home electronics when not in use.
Do you have a personal computer at home? Maybe two or three? If you leave them on all the time you are wasting a ton of electricity. Never mind what the guy at the store said about booting up the computer being harder on the CPU than just letting it run. Do you leave your car running twenty-four hours a day to save the wear and tear of engine start up? Of course not. The cost of gas would kill you. Turn off home electronics when not in use. This includes computers, stereos, televisions, satellite receivers, etc. You’ll be surprised at what you save.
4. Use your window treatments wisely.
During the summer time, or for those in warm weather climates, keeping the drapes or blinds closed during the daylight hours will help keep the temperature down in your house. This helps to reduce cooling costs. During the cooler evening hours, open the windows to allow the breeze through.
For those in colder weather climates, do just the opposite. During the winter months leave your window treatments open at the times of maximum sunlight. This can help keep the house warm, especially if you have a large window or two facing the east. At night, close the drapes to help keep in the heat of the day.
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