There are lots of ways to update your home to conserve and reduce energy use. Many of those projects can be expensive and time consuming, but thankfully, there are things homeowners can tackle on their own. Below, learn about five projects that can be completed during your weekend and don’t require a big budget.
- Change the temperature on your hot water heater.Anything over 120 degrees takes a lot of energy to heat. Plus, water at temperatures that high can lead to scalding. If there are small children in the house, bringing the hot water heater temperature down to 120 will keep everyone safer and shave money from energy bills.Have an older hot water heater? Consider a water heater blanket to help it work better.
- Install Ceiling Fans: Ceiling fans circulate air and takes some of the load off of heating and cooling units. The fan should turn clockwise in the winter to blow air UP and turn counter-clockwise in the summer to blow air DOWN.
- Tint Windows: Tinted windows helps rooms keep a steady temperature. You don’t need to tint every window, starting with the rooms that get direct sun will help lower bills.
- Change Your Light Bulbs: Do you still have incandescent light bulbs? If you do, they’re probably from an aging stockpile — incandescent bulbs are being phased out and 40 and 60 watt incandescent bulbs are difficult to find in Georgia stores. Switching to fluorescent or LED bulbs will save you a pretty penny, plus, they last longer than incandescents, saving you money on your next shopping trip.
- Check Your Roof Line: This tip can save you money in a number of ways. First, ensuring that there aren’t any holes into your attic will keep cold air from coming in and hot air from seeping out through the roof. Second, as the temperatures drop, small animals like squirrels will be looking for warm places to nest – like your attic. Sealing up holes in your roof line before critters get in will save you the exterminator’s fee, and the cost of replacement insulation. (Small animals use insulation to create their nests.)
Bonus tip! If you check need to re-caulk your window sills, use a caulk gun, not a squeeze tube. You’ll get a straighter line and better application of the caulk.