Being a home owner you become very aware of each cost that is put into your home. Receiving those higher utility bills during the winter and summer can be a bit stressful at times. This brings up a great subject about Home Energy Conservation.
There are so many options and ideas on how to save money and make your home more energy efficient.
- Make sure you are using fluorescents and CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lights). They are far more efficient, last much much longer, and will save you money. Check with your utility company to see if they offer some form of rebate for buying CFL’s.
- Keep your air filters clean. Don’t make your forced air work harder than it needs to.
- Use an inexpensive 24 hour timer to turn off lights or appliances that you do not want running all night.
- Install a Power Cost Monitor. These power meters tell you how much electricity your house is using. You will get instant feedback when you turn on lights, appliances, etc… this could be very helpful to cut down on electricity use.
- Change the brightness settings on your computer. A typical desktop computer (including a monitor) will consume about 150W. The first power saving adjustment to make is to change the monitor display brightness. Setting brightness to the minimum will cut the monitor power use almost half.
- Check all your windows and doors that they close completely, and there aren’t any air leaks. If you have a sliding door in your home make sure that the weather stripping isn’t worn down. Paying attention to the doors and windows will help keep heat from escaping during the winter, or having to turn up the air conditioning higher in the summer.
- Grilling is a great way to reduce your power use in the summer. Cooking inside makes your air conditioning work more and electric stoves make the electrical use even higher. Consider using a Natural Gas grill since Natural Gas is a third of the price of propane.
- Wash your clothes in cold water. Think about using a clothes line instead of your dryer all the time. About 6% of your electric bill goes towards the clothes dryer.
It will be worth your time to try some of the ideas for energy conservation, which will save you money in the long run, and make being a home owner a better experience.
Real Property Management Elite 2013 – D.Reid
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