Creating New Kitchens

Staying warm doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Here’s some ideas from the U.S. Department of Energy for saving heat and saving money.

When the snow starts falling, and the old mercury is going down, you know that the utility bills are going to go in the opposite direction. But keeping your home warm and comfortable on a cold winter night doesn’t have to empty the old wallet.

The U.S. Department of Energy provides these basic tips and relatively low-budget home energy improvements that can help guarantee that the cold stay’s outside and your furnace doesn’t have to work harder than it should.

The goal: Save on energy and keep more of your hard-earned dollarsin your pocket.

Share these ideas with your family and use them for your own house. After all, who doesn’t need to save a little money nowadays?

1. air leakages by caulking, sealing, or weather stripping. Save 10 percent ($150 per year) or more on electric bills. Zone in on windows, doors, outlets and switch plates on exterior walls.

2. Maintain your furnace. Heating accounts for half of the average family’s energy bill roughly $950 per year). Make sure the furnace or heat pump receives professional upkeep each year. The small cost (about $75-100 for a service call) will pay you back in improved performance all year long.

3. Install a programmable thermostat. Re-Program your thermostat from 70F to 60F during the day, while no one is home, and while everyone is tucked away in bed, will cut the heating bill up to 10 percent ($90 per year), paying for a basic unit in less than a year.

4. Seal and insulate your heating ductwork. A heating system can lose up to 60 percent of its warm air before it reachesthe register (wasting $550 in warm air per year) if ducts are not properly insulated in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces.

5. Sufficient insulation in the attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawlspaces can save up to 30 percent on home energy bills ($630 per year). the attic. (Heat rises.) Most homes should have between R-30 and R-49 insulation in the attic. You can learn more at: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer.

6. Make sure you shut the fireplace damper when not in use. When in use, you can reduce heat loss, up the chimney, by opening the cold air feed control in the bottom of the fireplace (if tou got one) or open the closest window about an inch. Set your thermostat down to between 50-60F.

7. Take advantage of passive heat sources, like the sun! Let the sun shine in. Open the drapes on south facing side of the house, during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat the home, and close them at night to reduce the chill from the cold windows.

8. Hot water accounts for 15 percent of overall energy use. You can bring down your water heating cost by lowering the water heaters thermostat setting. Each 10F reduction can save between 3 and 5 percent in energy costs. Insulate your hot water heater and water pipes. Consider installing a timer that shuts the water heater off whenwhen hot water isn’t needed.

9. Put In storm windows, if you have single-pane windows or replace them with Energy Star qualified thermopane windows. Storm windows can trim back heat loss by 25 to 50 percent, and storm windows with a low-e coating that reflect heat back into the room during the winter months can save even more energy. Be sure to look for the Energy Star label if you want maxumum savings. Energy Star qualified windows reduce heating and cooling bills by an average of $345, but could be higher in colder or hotter than average areas, compared to uncoated, single-pane windows. If you can’t afford new windows rightt now, tape plastic to the inside of the window frames. You can get a kit at just about any hardware store.

10. Lastly, when replacing appliances, light bulbs, electronics, or heating and cooling systems, you can trim down your electric bills by up to 30 percent ($600 per year) with Energy Star labeled products. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in place of regular kight bulbs.

These improvements in your home can save you a lot of money in the short term and act as a selling point to possible buyers, if you decide to sell your home later.

I know this look like a large list and your probably not sure where to start out, right? Just start with number one and work your way through the list. After youv’e completed the list, if you really want to save a boat load of money, visit us at enrgy money savings tips.