Energy Saving Tips for Homes “Preparing Your Home for Winter” Cost Saving and Free Energy Tips

Energy Saving Tips for Homes “Preparing your Home for Winter” Cost Saving and Free Energy Saving Tips

We all want to save money and cut costs and today I would like to share with you some Cost Cutting and Energy Saving Tips and Resources that will hopefully help with adding a little extra cash to your bottom line.   With the holidays fast approaching, what better time to start thinking about saving money than with the Home Energy Saving Tips for Home.

Summer is over and temperatures are dropping fast. Some places across the country already have snow! I know when the weather gets cold, your first instinct is most likely to turn up the thermostat, or switch on the electric heater. While these things can help keep you warm, they also drain money from your wallet and have a negative impact on the environment. Roughly 2/3^rd of your home’s annual energy use goes towards heating—and up to half of that energy is wasted. To make matters worse, all that heating over the winter months sends 4 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each month!

The good news is, there are really simple ways to keep warm through the cold months and some don’t cost a single penny!

The first thing you should do is check for drafts or air leaks. There isn’t much use in heating a home if it all escapes through cracks around the windows and doors. To find the places where air may be sneaking out of (or into) your home, light a stick of incense on a windy day and make sure all doors and windows are closed. Walk around each room and take note of the areas the incense smoke drifts towards. Is it moving towards the windows, the doors, or other areas? These areas should be further inspected because they may be where the air leaks are located and will need immediate repair. Fortunately, repairs usually involve a bit of caulk or weather-stripping, both of which are relatively cheap.

Next, get an energy audit done. Many companies do them for free. They will basically come to inspect your home further and tell you ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, usually by adding insulation or upgrading your appliances to newer, EnergyStar rated models.

In regards to the insulation, it works in 2 ways: it keeps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Many people think you only need it in your walls or ceilings, but this is not true. Insulation should be in the walls, ceilings, and floors of every room, including the attic and basement (if possible). You should also avoid the pink, fuzzy stuff and try the more eco-friendly, blown-in cellulose insulation (which is made from recycled newspaper). The fiberglass (pink) insulation tends to leave gaps between rolls, but the eco-friendly, cellulose insulation is sealed tight. Check out the Department of Energy’s site for more information on insulation.

Another thing that will help keep the heat inside is adding storm windows, or a special kind of plastic wrap to your windows. The plastic wrap is a special shrink-wrap version designed specifically for windows. You should be able to find it at most hardware stores. Doing this will cut heat loss by 25 to 50%!

 

The last couple of things to do (in regards to home improvement) is installing a programmable thermostat and upgrading your furnace. If you have a furnace that is older than 10 years, or a boiler that is older than 20 years, they should be replaced with a newer, EnergyStar rated model. The newer models are at least 30% more energy efficient and will pay for themselves within 5-10 years. To find more information on getting a new furnace, including finding a contractor and calculating your return on investment, check out the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) site. You should also clean your furnace/heater filters regularly (roughly every 3 months) and make sure all heating vents are open and unblocked (not covered by furniture). If vents are blocked, that warm air won’t be able to get through.

As for the programmable thermostats, these are a must for energy efficiency. You can set the thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature at certain points of the day. When you are asleep, set it for a few degrees lower. When you are awake and at home, set it a few degrees higher. You can also set it lower for when you’ll be away from the house (there’s no point in heating your home if you aren’t going to be there to enjoy it!). It may surprise you to learn that you can actually use your ceiling fan with your thermostat to keep you warm. Sounds crazy, right? Well, try this out this winter:

Set your ceiling fan on a clockwise rotation and at a slow speed. This pushes the warm air trapped at the ceiling back down to the rest of the room and will actually keep you warmer. Plus, it can save you about $500 on heating costs! Check out the Look Up site for more information.

Until now, most suggestions so far cost money in order to save money. However, there are a few things you can do that won’t cost a single penny.

First of all (and probably the most obvious), add some layers! Before you crank up the thermostat, put on a sweater or wrap a blanket around you. This simple act will keep you warm without increasing your heating cost.

Next week we will continue with the Energy Saving Tips and provide a number of free energy saving tips.   If you enjoyed this topic and would like to drop us a line, please feel free to comment.  We value your feedback and thank you for taking the time to stop by Myecomaid.com.   To find out about these and other great energy saving tips visit our Energy Saving Tips section filled with Eco-friendly and money saving tips on how to save energy and save money.

 

 

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