5 Easy Steps to Save Energy and Money with your house

Owning a house can be very costly, with repairs and renovations. What if you could save some money on your electric and water bill and put that money towards the costly repairs. These six easy tips can help you improve your home and help save you some money in the long run.

Tip 1: Improve Insulation and Seals

First off, sealing off windows and doors that are allowing air in and out by replacing the caulk around the windows with acrylic latex caulk. Windows can be tested to see if they are causing a draft by lighting an incense and holding it near the window. If the smoke is disturbed, then it is time to seal it off. Additionally, add a weather strip to the inside of the window. This will save you roughly $20 a month. Another improvement is adding a faux brick wall siding to improve curb appeal and increase insulation of your home. The faux brick wall siding is easy to install for a weekend Do It Yourself project.

Tip 2: Change to CFL Light Bulbs

By switching to CFL light bulbs, you will be using 70 - 90% less energy which can save you roughly $30 - $80 every month. These bulbs can be found at your local hardware store or supermarket.

Tip 3: Give Your Water Heater A Blanket

There are two simple questions to ask to determine if you need to place a blanket on your water heater. First, is your water heater over 10 years old? Second, when you touch your water heater, does it feel warm? If you answered yes to both of these questions, put a blanket over your water heater. This will prevent heat loss and save you some money. You can get a specialized water heater blankets from your local hardware store. When looking for one, find one with a pre - cut R-value of at least eight. This will save you approximately 9% of water heating costs a year.

Tip 4: Insulate Your Attic

Even if your attic is already insulated, it could still be leaking treated air. Apply a thin layer of foam insulation and foam tape around the edges to seal in the treated air. This can reduce your heating and cooling needs by 30%. Another thing to consider when insulating your attic, is if you have pull-down stairs to get into the attic. You can get an "attic tent" to seal off the stairway.

Tip 5: Pay Attention to Your Outlets

Treated air can escape from these as well. You can seal them off with foam gaskets behind the covers. Additionally, tv's, phone chargers, and gaming consoles can suck up energy. Unplug these devices when not in use and it could save you $55 a year.

Tip 6: Install a Programmable Thermostat

This will allow you to better control the temperature of your home. Having this control, you can keep it warmer in the cooler times, and cooler in the warmer times. Many of them will allow you to change them from your smartphone.

By following these six easy steps, you could possibly save hundreds to thousands of dollars every year and reduce your environmental footprint.

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