Tomorrow night our president will give the State of the Union address – and in it, I am guessing that he will be talking about jobs, the recession, etc!  Of course, everyone is watching their money and their monthly bills!  So for everyone who owns a home, or is currently renting, here is a list of things that you can do to help save some money off your energy costs!  Most of these are things we have all heard before – and many of these may be things our parents even did, but if we can save a little bit of money off our utility bills each and every month, we can use that money to treat ourselves to something special!  So feel free to print this out and use it to see just how much money you can save this year!

• Dodge Drafts:  For Christmas I got one of those “Twin Draft Guards” that everyone sees on television late at night!  I have been using it since Christmas and I must say – it is a great little gift!  I am now thinking of going out and buying another 2 for my other doors!  If you don’t want to buy one, you can always roll a bath towel and put it under your drafty doors!  Doing this will save a few dollars on your utility bill!
• Change Furnace Filters:  Every time I work with a homebuyer and we do the inspections, it seems that one of the things noted on the home inspection report is that the filter is dirty!  Not being an HVAC person, I was surprised to hear just how much money you spend on your energy costs when you do not go in and change dirty filters!  What I was told was that dirty filters increase the energy load on your system because it restricts the air flow!
• Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse:  I have ceiling fans in each of the rooms in my house, but never realized that by doing something as simple as reversing the direction of the blades can help me save money on my utility bills!  So in the summer, I make sure that my blades are running counterclockwise; while in the winter, I switch the blades to run clockwise!  This is because when the blades are running clockwise, they will push down the warm air that is at the ceiling back down to the living space!
• Turn Down The Water Heater:  When I got my new water heater installed a few years ago, the installer told me that by turning my water heater’s temperature down to 120 degrees can save you some more money!  And do you really need to have your water heater set at the 140 degrees that the manufacturer has set?
• Install Storm Doors & Storm Windows:  This can increase the energy efficiency in your home by as much as 45%!  Storm windows & doors block the cold air from getting into the house!
• Have The HVAC System Checked By a Professional:  This is a normal maintenance item, but maintaining the system & making sure it is properly working will help to save you costs over the long run!  I have mine checked every year and the cost is somewhere around $150 – a very small price to pay to make sure my system is working in the most efficient way possible!
• Look At Your Thermostat’s Temperature:  Did you know that for each 1 degree you turn down the temperature on your thermostat, you can save between 1% and 3% on your heating bill?  When you are leaving the home for work, or to go out at night, turning down the thermostat by a few degrees each time you leave and that will help reduce your utility bill down each month!
• Insulate Your Windows:  It may not necessarily look pretty, but going to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buying a Window Insulation Kit for each window will help to block any drafts you may have coming into your home!  These things are easy to install and will help you save money each month!
• Caulk & Weatherstrip Any Leaks in the House:  How do you know where you may have leaks?  Take a lit incense stick and move it along the walls, windows and doors (be careful of furniture & drapes) – if it wavers, this is an indication of a leak, where caulking and weatherstripping may help to seal up those leaks!
• Turn off Unneeded Lights:  As a kid, I remember my father always reminding me to turn off the lights!  Keeping the lights off when you are not using them will save you some money each month!
• Switch to Energy Efficient Light Bulbs:  Another idea to help save you some money each month!

Although I don’t think any of these things, in and of themselves, will save you a tremendous amount of money on your utility bills every month, in this economy I think that whenever we can save a few dollars here and there, those few dollars will add up over time!  Feel free to print out this list!  And if you have anything else that you can add to the list, let me know!

I’m Barbara Reagan

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Barbara A. Reagan – ABR, GRI, ePro, CRS, SFR

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