Save Money on Your Home Energy Costs This Winter in Just Three Easy Steps
If you're like most homeowners you likely suffer the same fate when winter rolls around: higher energy bills. It doesn't matter if you heat your home with electricity, natural gas or some other energy source; prices continue to rise and that means increased heating costs. In today's blog post we'll share three easy ways that you can save money on your home energy costs this winter.
Install and Use Programmable Thermostats
Now that Nest and other companies have brought Wi-Fi enabled, programmable thermostats on the market there's very few excuses to avoid using them. At bare minimum you'll want a digital thermostat that can be programmed to turn on and off at certain hours of the day. For example, you can shut your heat off after leaving for work and have it turn back on again a half-hour or so before you get home. You can do the same at night when you're fast asleep under warm blankets. If possible, try to get a thermostat for each room so that rooms can be heated individually as needed.
Switch Up Your Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans you may not know that by reversing their direction you can keep your rooms feeling much warmer. In the winter you'll want your fans spinning in a clockwise direction, which will push warm air downward into the room where you'll be able to feel it. In the summer you'll want to switch the fans back to counter-clockwise as this will help move warm air towards the ceiling.
Check Your Insulation, Furnace and Ducts Now
Finally, you'll want to check that your home heating system is operating at peak efficiency. If you can access your attic, check to ensure that your insulation is tightly packed and that it's still in good condition. Clean or replace the air filter on your furnace, and check your ducts for any leaks that need to be repaired. If it has been a few years, consider having a professional furnace and duct cleaning to get all of the dust and debris out of the ductwork.
Oh and don't forget to change that filter in your furnace. A good reminder is when you sit down to pay your monthly bills, change your filter then, that way it will be added to your monthly to do list.
Another way which is a big savings is in your lighting of your home. What type of lighting do you use, what type of light bulbs give better energy control but does not sacrifice in the amount of light you need for that space. Another type of energy efficient lighting is the LED lights. Check out these types of bulbs and see where you can replace your old ones to cut down on your bills.
What a savings!
Photos of rooms using LED lighting for the best of all worlds, energy control which results in lower bills, longer lasting, brighter lighting. Check these out!
As you can see, a little time spent on home maintenance can end up saving quite a bit in energy costs when the temperatures drop. When you're ready to look at buying a newer, more energy-efficient home, contact your real estate agent and book a consultation where you can share your needs and price range.
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For more information about real estate in the Louisville, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt county areas, contact me, Karen Rodriguez, at 502-643-2255 or email soldbyk@gmail.com. Years of Experience, Experience the Difference, in fact, 30 years difference.
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If you are thinking of selling, call me for a FREE home evaluation in your neighborhood, from staging, pricing, housing values, interest rates, how appraisers are valuing properties, now that the guidelines have changed. I would love to sit down and talk with you. Just call me and let me know how I can help with your real estate needs. Thanks!!! Karen
