You have heard of some of these ideas before. A few may be very new to you. How many of them are you doing? We have had such a long pleasant Fall in Arvada, you may have forgotten about the things you need to change to seasonally cut your energy bill. If you are in a new to you home this is important as well.
1. Make or purchase draft dodgers for the doors that open to the outside or garage of your home and windows. Be sure everybody knows to kick them back into place.
2. I there are rooms that do not have as much insulation as the rest of the house, like a sun porch, consider adding a door or at least a curtain to that doorway.
3. Keep your drapes and curtains closed in rooms that you do not use or when you are not at home. Windows are a huge heat loss area in most homes.
4. Instead of turning the heat up to heat the entire house use electric throws when sitting around in the evening. Check out some great ones at area Target Stores.
5. When in bed at night add another blanket and turn the heat down to 60 or lower. You might want to leave cabinet doors open on outer walls that have plumbing on very cold nights to prevent freezing pipes.
6. A timer for your thermostat will help you have a warm home in the AM and a warm place to come in the evening without keeping the heat on all day.
7. If your garage is attached to your home be sure to keep the garage door closed.
8. Your oven uses a large amount of energy. A Crock Pot prepared with dinner and bread from the bread machine will provide a great meal with a minimum amount of energy usage.
9. Use of a small night light can cut down on power usage in the evenings. Use one in a hallway, one in the nursery and maybe one on the kitchen counter.
10. Keep your freezer full. Freeze jugs of water to keep it that way. A full freezer is much more efficient to run.
11. Wash and dry only full loads of clothing of similar items. Mom may have always said to separate the lights and darks but heavy items like jeans and cords take longer to dry than lighter weight shirts, blouses and jerseys. If all need to be washed together be sure to pull the lighter weight items out earlier so that you will cause less wear and tear on those items.
12. Wear socks, shoes and or slippers around the house. Hats are no longer just for outdoors. Having warm hands and feet will make you feel warmer and less likely to turn up the heat.
Taking heed of a few suggestions here will likely save you some money this winter.
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