Easy Ways to Save on Energy Costs
Turn Off the Lights
While turning off the lights can seem so obvious that it shouldn’t bear mentioning, many of us neglect to do it so I have added it to the list. If you are leaving a room and expect to be gone for more than about 5 minutes you should turn off the lights to save energy. Try to make a habit of turning off the lights whenever you leave a room. Habits take about 2 weeks to develop, so really try to force yourself to sticking with it for a couple weeks and soon it will become second nature. Be sure to get your other family members involved and stress the importance of saving energy. If everyone sticks to the plan this tip will help you to save a lot on your energy costs.
Get a Programmable Thermostat
During the winter most of us set our thermostats at a comfortable temperature to keep our houses warm. However, for most people, there are periods of the day when everyone is at work or school and no one is home. During these hours your house does not need to be kept as warm as when you are there. A programmable thermostat will allow you to set a timer that automatically lowers the temperature in your house during the times that no one is there so your heater doesn’t run all day. You can set the timer to resume the normal temperature a little while before you are due to arrive back home so that your house is warm again by the time you arrive. This is a terrific way to save a lot of money on your heating costs during the winter.
Check Your Insulation
Insulation in your home is one of those things that is easy to forget about because it’s not something that you see everyday. Check the insulation in your attic and make sure that it still looks healthy. If you do not have insulation in your attic you should add some to help keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. You should also consider replacing or adding new insulation inside your walls. This is a larger project since it usually involves some demolition, but it can pay off greatly in energy savings over the long haul.
Weatherproof Your Home
Before winter arrives apply weather-stripping around your doors to the outside and walk around your house to look for any cracks, holes or gaps where cold air can get in or heat can escape. If you find gaps or holes fill them in with expanding foam from a can.
Turn Off Electronics
Many of today’s electronics can appear to be off but still are using electricity. Good examples of this are computers, battery chargers and many video games. You can save energy by plugging these types of electronics into power strips and shutting the power strip off when the electronics are not in use.
Simply following these easy steps will help you to save a whole bunch of money on your energy costs. None of them are difficult to implement or overly expensive. One of the best things about making these changes is that any money you invest in improving the energy efficiency of your home will be recouped in energy savings down the road.
