- As the price of oil
and electricity skyrocket, you might be looking at your
utility bill and wondering how you’ll ever pay a
reasonable price again. The good news is that there are
many things you can do to make your home both
environmentally friendly and energy efficient. These
changes can lower your bill to an amount you can afford
and help you protect the earth around you.
Having a clean house is the first step toward energy
efficiency if you clean in the right places. Heating and
cooling filters should be cleaned or replaced on a
monthly basis or as needed if they are in a cardboard
frame. These filters separate out the dust and dirt
particles from outside air but over time, the buildup of
particles can decrease the amount of actually cool air
that is getting though. Cleaning air registers, floor
heaters and radiators can also go a long way toward
bringing down you energy expenses, by allowing more hot
or cool air to circulate from many sources. You also
need to make sure nothing is blocking them, like
furniture or drapes to make sure you get the most out of
your home.
Think about how you use the rooms in your house and
which take the most energy to run. Bathroom fans should
be turned off as soon as possible because they can drain
a house of heat in just one hour. Giving each bedroom
and main room in your house an individual thermostat
control can allow you to adjust each room on an
“as-needed” basis and then set it back to an efficient
temperature when you are done. If you aren’t using a
room in your house at all, close it off for use and
don’t make adjustments for the temperature in that room.
Using only the rooms you need could be a big
money-saving step.
Using your drapes can help you control the need for a
thermostat in your home, too. Opening and closing drapes
depending on the season can help you control the
temperature of your home from the sun. Additionally,
closing drapes at night and in unoccupied rooms can help
keep heat in your home, which allows you to adjust your
thermostat to save money. Setting your thermostat as low
as possible in the winter and as high as comfortable in
the summer can save you 3% on your energy bills. What
could you do with an extra 3%?
The fact is, you can do a lot to save money on your
home. Becoming energy efficient is one that is fairly
easy to achieve if you follow tips to help you keep heat
in or out, depending on what is comfortable for your
budget and your family.
www.otpco.com
