Running a household involves facing a significant amount of expenses every month. With a family to feed, children to send to school, cars to gas up, a mortgage and bills to pay, and all other personal needs to take care of, a homeowner knows very well how money slipping out of one’s hands feels.
As such, many families are exploring the best possible ways to cut expenses and save money for other needs by making simple changes in the way things are done around the house. One of the best areas that they can work on is their usage of energy throughout the property. Most homes are fitted with central heating and air conditioning systems, for example, which use up energy and cost a substantial amount of money. By being mindful of how they use energy elsewhere in the home, families can bring their energy costs down—and help improve the environment, too.
Here are some simple yet valuable energy saving tips that households can follow year-round for better savings and greater energy efficient.
Smart warm weather practices
- Cook meals on the grill outside, the microwave or the stove instead of in the oven.
- Cool off outdoors (like in the park, the public swimming pool or the library) instead of staying cooped up inside the house with the air conditioner on all day.
- Use room fans instead of the air conditioner, and turn them off when not in use.
- Check for gaps around door and window frames and seal these with caulk.
- Install outdoor awnings to provide sun protection for your home, and paint the house in a light color to reflect heat.
- Place air conditioners away from appliances that give off heat so that they won’t have to work harder to cool a room.
Habits to make cooler months better
- Turn down the heater whenever the fireplace is in use.
Close blinds and curtains in rooms when they are unoccupied during the day, and at night, to prevent warm air from escaping.- If you have older water heaters, wrap them with blankets or insulating jackets so only minimal heat is lost.
- Replace your old windows with ENERGY-STAR windows which can reduce your cooling and heating costs by up to 15%.
- Spray foam insulation into spaces between walls, and install door sweeps on garage doors to seal the gap between the door and the threshold. This prevents warm air from going out and cold air from coming in.
