If you are like most people, you want to do what you can to save money on your energy bills.  One way to do that is to prepare your home for winter.  Follow these tips to get your home winterized and ready for the cold weather:

Use weather stripping

Weather stripping is used to put around windows and doors and is made to keep the cold weather out in the winter.  The weather stripping will seal the doors and the windows not only against the cold air but also the moisture that the cold weather can sometimes bring.  You can purchase weather stripping at any home improvement store.  Weather stripping is easy to apply and can save you a substantial amount of money in your home energy bills 

Caulk around your windows

You should caulk not only the outside of the windows as well as the inside of the windows with proper interior and exterior caulk.  This is another job that someone with a little bit of knowledge can accomplish relatively easily.  Caulking around your windows is a weekend project, both inside and out.  Not only will it keep the draft from seeping out of older windows, but like weather stripping, it will keep moisture out as well. 

Insulate your hot water heater

You can get an insulation blanket to put around your hot water heater.  This can keep the hot water in the hot water heater at a hot temperature in the cold weather and save on energy from your hot water pump, which will not have to work so hard. 

Put film on your windows

If you do not have insulated windows, you can buy film at home improvement stores that you can put over your windows that will insulate them against the cold.  This film is easy to apply and goes on with a hair dryer.  There are even some films that can be applied without a hairdryer.  This film can keep the draft out of windows that are not insulated. 

Have furnace cleaned and change filter

Get your furnace prepared for the winter by having it cleaned by a professional and then change the filter.  If possible, you should use a reusable filter that will not only save you money on your energy costs as a furnace with a filter works more efficiently and the reusable filter will also save you money on replacement filters. 

Follow these tips and you will have your house ready for winter and yourself ready to save money on your energy bills.

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Whether you are building a new house or adding on to an existing house, you are going to want to make sure that they new house is as energy efficient as possible.  With the cost of natural gas and electric skyrocketing in recent years, now more than ever is a time to be conscious of saving money on your energy bills.

Making your new home more energy efficient is not difficult and just takes some knowledge regarding what will do the job.  Here are some new tips on making any new construction, regardless of whether it is a new house or an addition, more energy efficient:

Choose Energy Efficient Windows

Old fashioned windows lose heat and cool air because they are not insulated.  Old fashioned windows are difficult to clean and consist of double hung windows, storm windows and screens.  They have to be taken apart to clean and often have to be cleaned from the outside.  You can save on your energy bill by getting new thermal glass energy saving windows.  These do not have storms as the glass is insulated and will protect against the cold as well as the heat.  They pop in and out to make cleaning easier.  You can use from double hung windows or casements.  Not only are they energy efficient, but they are maintenance free as well as the window jambs are vinyl clad.

Choose The Highest Grade Insulation

When you are building a new house, chances are that your builder will put in the lowest grade insulation that conforms with code.  You should ask for the highest grade, which is R-4, that can be added to the walls and blown into the attic.  This may end up costing you a few hundred dollars extra in upgrades, but will make a big difference in energy efficiency as well as your energy bill.  Get the best insulation in the house that you can get.

One Air Conditioner Or Two?

If you have a large home, you may do better with two air conditioning units, one for each floor.  This will help you save money as you do not have to put the burden of cooling the entire house on one big unit.  You can turn the one unit on when you are upstairs and the other during the day.  Both can also run simultaneously and if they are on a temperature controlled thermostat, which they most likely will be, they will not overrun.  If you have a large home, consider more than one air conditioning unit to save money on your energy costs.

Choose appliances that are energy efficient and also consider a maintenance free exterior that will better insulate the house.  This will end up saving on your heating and cooling bills.

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Here are 10 easy steps that you can take right now to save money on your energy bills each month:

1.  Move furniture away from heating vents and hot and cold air returns. This ends up blocking the return and causes the room to stay cool or hot.  You furniture should be kept away from these returns to get the most use of the energy and save on  energy costs.

2.  Change your furnace filter.  When was the last time you did this?  If you change it every month, you will have a more efficient furnace that not only acts as a heater but also generates the air through the ducts for the air conditioner as well.

3.  Switch to energy saving light bulbs.  As each bulb runs out, change it with an energy saver.  You will soon find you are saving energy and buying less light bulbs.

4.  Fix leaky faucets.  They waste gallons of water.  Remove the handle, tighten it with a wrench and chances are you will have fixed the faucet.  If not, you can easily install a new faucet which costs under $30 at most home  improvement stores.

5. Install a hand held shower head.  This will make taking a shower a breeze and cleaning the shower even easier.

6.  Fix all windows with cracks. If you have storms with cracks, have them replaced.  They are energy wasters.  Do  this before the cold air sets in and you will save money on your heating bill.  Storm windows are easy to replace and can be taken to a glass shop and re-glazed.

7.  Install weather stripping on doors and windows.  If you are ready to winterize your house for the cold weather, or even if you just want to save on the air conditioning costs as your cool air is escaping all of the time, then use weather stripping, which is easy to get at a home improvement store, to better insulate your windows and doors.

8.  Clean the lint trap in your dryer every day.  Each time you use the dryer, clean the lint trap.  This will not only make the clothes dryer run more efficiently and save you money on energy costs, but will eliminate a potential fire hazard.  The dryer has a vent that goes outside as well that should be vacuumed out periodically

9.  Never run your dishwasher or clothes washer half full.  It costs just as much to run a full washer as it does one that is partially loaded.  And while you are at it, rinse those dishes before putting them in he dishwasher as it will make them cleaner and save on your energy costs.

10. Partially cook your foods in the microwave and use it for defrosting foods before adding them to the oven or stove.  The microwave not only works quicker, but will end up using less energy.  You can save energy when cooking by defrosting your foods that can be defrosted before cooking by using the microwave.

“Discover How To Save An Amazing 25% Or More On Your Very Next Home Energy Bill - Guaranteed ! “

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Are you in the market to shop for new appliances?  If so, you are probably looking for the most economical value for your new appliances.  Be forewarned, however, that economical value is not always the cheapest appliances.  Today, more than ever, you want appliances that are energy efficient and will save you money on your energy bills.

Here are some tips  on appliances that can save you the most money on your energy bills and what to look for when buying them.:

Refrigerator

Your refrigerator uses up more energy than any other appliance in the house.  Naturally, you want an energy saver.  Look for a refrigerator that will save you energy by allowing food to stay cool as long as possible without having to use a lot of energy.  When there are a lot of separate storage bins in the refrigerator that are temperature controlled, you tend to lose less energy.  Also look for this in your freezer, as well.  Have a freezer that will give you enough room to store food without packing it so tight that it blocks the cold air return.

Most refrigerators today are more energy efficient than their 20 year old counterparts.  If you are running an old refrigerator, chances are that it is time for a new one, anyway.  Replace it with a new, energy efficient model and watch your energy bills decline.

Stove & Oven

Get a stove with removable reflector pans so that you can wash them and keep them clean.  You can even toss these in the dishwasher.  The reflector pans reflect heat and allow for more energy use by the stove.  You should look for one with removable pans so that they can be cleaned regularly with ease to maximize the use of the stove heat.

Also, look for a continuous clean oven.  Ovens that are dirty do not work as efficiently as those that are clean.  You probably do not have time to clean your oven all the time, so a continuous clean oven is best.  You can also look for a self cleaning over that can be just wiped out after cleaning,  although the continuous clean is more energy efficient.

Dishwasher

Make sure that there are several options such as light washing, hard scrub and air dry.  Air drying your dishes will save you energy and you can use a light washing if you have rinsed your dishes and simply want to get them sparkling clean.

Washer & Dryer

Look for those that will take in the most amount of clothes with the least amount of water.  Dryers should be gas as they run cheaper and have timers on them so that you do not have to run a full cycle if you do not want to,

If you follow these suggestions, you can either replace your old appliances when it comes time or buy new appliances for your new home that are energy efficient and will save you money on your energy bills.

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Some ways that even the frugal among us waste energy end up costing us big time on our energy bills.  This includes things that both adults and children often do.  Follow these tips and you can save some money on your energy bills simply by acting responsibly and exercising common sense:

In or Out

Either make up your mind to go into the house or out of the house.  By opening the door and running into the house as well a out of the house all of the time, you are wasting energy.  Do you remember when your  mother used to have a fit when you did this?  Not only was it annoying, but it also wasted a lot of energy.  It let the cool air out in the summer and the warm air out in the winter.  Make up your mind and decide whether you are going in or out. 

Take a 10 Minute Shower

That’s all you need to get clean!  You do not have to be in the shower for 45 minutes with the water running, like members in my  family, to get clean.  Once you have soaped yourself and rinsed, you cannot get any cleaner.  Unless you happen to work in a coal mine (unlike any members in my family who happen to be teenaged girls) you do not need to spend 45 minutes in the shower.  Take a 10 minute shower and get out.  You can save on your energy bill. 

Turn off the TV when not in use 

The dog or cat will be fine without the benefit of the TV running.  You do not have to have the TV on in the room when no one is watching.  The televisions today are not like those in the 1960s.   They do not take a while to “warm up” so the minute you turn them on, you can start watching them!  Why have them on in a room when you are on the phone in another room?  Turn the TV off when not watching.  A novel idea, but it really does work to save energy.

If you have a problem going to sleep because of lack of TV (as some people are so hooked on TV that they cannot be in a room without one running) you can put a timer on the TV that will turn off when you fall asleep.  This way, your TV is not running all night.

Shut lights when you are not in the room

Another novel idea.  We do not live in the 19th century by gas lamp that takes a while to start burning.  The minute you turn on a light, it lights up the room.  Therefore, there is no reason why we need to have lights burning in the room when no one is in there.  If you need a path to get to the bathroom during the night, you should use a lighted night light that takes up less energy.

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