Nov 16 2008
Cut Utility Costs
Well we all have out little quirks and tricks to save on our energy consumtion and utility bills, here are a few of mine.
Heating
Weatherstrip your doors and use a draft stopper, if you do not want to purchase one you can gain the same effect by rolling a decorative blanket and laying it against your door. Limit your entries and exits to one door unless it is an emergency, repeated opening and closing of multiple doors causes your air/heat to be lost rapidly.
Use your storm windows during the winter months and if you do not have any apply heavy duty weather plastic to all but one window per level (you want to maintain some type of airflow throughout your home). One more thing, alot of people sugest you turn your heat up during the day and down during the night but I suggest the opposite(especially if you have little ones in the home). Instead set your heat to 68 degrees during the day, keep all doors to the bedrooms closed as well as the bathroom. Limit your activities to the rest of the house during this time to help the heat build-up in these rooms. When you go to bed your rooms are nice and toasty and there was no need to change your heat setting at all, I do suggest lowering your heat to 65 degrees if you will be gone from home for a significant amount of time.
Water
Wash your dishes and laundry only when you have a full load, avoid your dishwasher if you do not use a large amount of dishes. Follow the recommended settings for both of these appliances, they are recommended for a reason. During the winter turn off the valve to your outside water faucet, this will help eliminate any water loss and possible freezing damage.
Electric
Replace all the bulbs in your house with flourescent ones, they last longer and use less energy to use. Leave lights in high traffic rooms on, it takes more energy to turn a light on than to stay on for a few hours at a time. If you will not use a room often then turn the light off while you are out of it. Unplug any electrical appliance you are not using, a great way to do this with little to no fuss or forethought is using power strips. One flip of a switch and you eliminate power usage of multiple appliances. Reduce your water heater temperature by 10 degrees. Purchase and use appliances that have the green Energy Star, they are proven to reduce your utility bills.
