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In today’s economy, aren't we all willing to go the extra mile to save ourselves a buck or two? How does saving close to a thousand dollars a year sound to you? Creating an energy efficient home will slash your utility bills by 30%.  An added bonus - you will lend a helping hand to improving the world we live in by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The following are some steps you can take to creating a more energy efficient home.

1. Central Air- In the summer, the higher the thermostat setting, the more energy you save. Since most people are out of the house for a good part of the day, make sure to set the thermostat to a higher degree while the house is unoccupied. In the winter months, the opposite holds true. Be sure to lower the temperature for the greater part of the day when nobody will be home.

2. Habits- Simple habits such as making sure to turn off the light switch when exiting a room can end up saving you a nice amount of money. Before leaving your house, make sure to turn off the TV, computer, radio, boom box, light switches etc.

3. Light Bulbs- Replace all your incandescent light bulbs, especially the ones that are used the most, with bulbs that use less wattage. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) and the light emitting diode bulbs (LED) make a great choice. A 13 watt fluorescent bulb gives off the same amount of light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb.

4. Household Appliances- A huge chunk of your energy is used by household appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwasher, washers and dryers. Upgrading the appliances to newer, more energy efficient models is where you'll end up gaining the most cash. When shopping for new appliances, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR logo, since these models use 20% less energy.

5. Insulation- By making sure that your house is properly insulated you end up using less heating and cooling energy to reach the same comfortable temperature level. Your heating and cooling system may be very sufficient, but if your walls and windows can’t hold in the air, then the system is not really worth much.

It may sound like a lot of fixing up to do and lots of money spending but in the long run, you end up saving a nice wad of cash.

Filed under: How-To • General

Tags: energy efficient