|
Saving Money --> Around the House
|
|
Preparing Your Home for Winter Will Lower Your Heating Bill
With the cold weather upon us, I hope you have already made efforts to winterize your home. Keeping the cold air outside will help you cut your heating bill significantly. Especially since recent reports indicate that the cost of heating a home by gas or oil may increase as much as 30-50% this winter.
Here are a few tips that can help you save money this winter:
Close storm windows make sure all windows and doors seal tight. If not, add some weather stripping to stop air leaks.
Remove window air conditioners. It can be a pain in the neck, but unless you did a superb job of installing them they will let in some cold air.
Cover windows in shrink-wrap plastic. You can purchase these kits at The Home Depot for about $1.50/window. Simply run the two-sided tape all around the window frame, stick the plastic to it, and then use a hair dryer to shrink out all the wrinkles. It takes a little bit of practice, but once you get them up you'll barely notice they are there. And it will provide another barrier to keep the cold air out.
Caulk air leaks around windows and doors.
Install a hot water heater cover. It will increase the efficiency of your water heater and save electricity, especially if your water heater is located in a basement.
Insulate exposed water pipes with foam covers. It will help keep the heat in the pipes where it belongs.
Cook something in the oven. The radiant heat will help warm the house, and a nice warm meal will help keep you warm too!
|
|
|