In our last few posts, EHI provided you, as homeowners, with
some zero and low cost ways to save money on your monthly utility bills. This
time we are revisiting that theme with even more ways to cut your gas and
electric bills that will save you money.
Last time our tips focused on small improvements or repair projects. This time, we are going to focus on habits and
behaviors you can adjust to save money. The more of these changes you can
incorporate into your lifestyle, the more money you can save each month.
For more information check out our other blog posts or our resources page at https://expert-home-inspections.com/resources/
Dryer Vent Cleaning
Hopefully you are already cleaning the lint
trap on your dryer after every load! But, did you know there is more
maintenance required to keep that dryer running safely and efficiently? While
the lint traps collect most of the lint, there is always some that will slip
past and get into the vent. Over time this lint can build up causing the dryer
to run inefficiently, and can also create a potential fire hazard. Lint makes
an EXCELLENT fire starter; in fact, I use it frequently when starting a
campfire!!
To mitigate this problem, I recommend
cleaning your dryer vent about twice a year.
The process is fairly quick and can save you money; and most
importantly, keep you safe. Dryer vents should NEVER be assembled using screws
as the screw creates a place for lint to collect and build up. Dryer vents
should always be secured using the appropriate foil vent tape. (Please note,
this is NOT “duct tape”.) Duct tape will dry out over repeated heat/cool cycles
and eventually fail. The proper tape can be purchased at most hardware stores
and is a foil type tape. To clean the
vents, simply remove the existing tape and disconnect the vent pipe, and using
a vacuum with a hose, clean out the inside of the pipe sections. Pay extra
attention to bends and joints as this is where the lint will accumulate the
most. Once you are done, simply reattach
the vent pipe and seal with the proper tape.
Before you call the project done be sure to also check the vent cover
outside to make sure the louvers are also free of lint build up.
Adjust Drapes and Blinds
Sunlight is a great thing; we literally could
not live with out it. At the same time, the sun is also our nemesis when trying
to control our air conditioning costs. While letting in natural light during
the day so that lights can be turned off is a great way to save, if that direct
sunlight is coming directly in a window during the mid-day sun, your air
conditioner is working much harder than it needs to. By closing drapes and
blinds that are allowing direct sunlight in, it will be much easier to keep
those rooms cool. As a benefit, protecting your flooring and furniture from the
direct sunlight will also help them last longer and avoid fading!
Shorten your showers
Next to heating and cooling the air in your
home, keeping the hot water hot is one of the biggest portions of utility
costs. A good way to save money here is by limiting the time of your
shower. While it is nice to take a long
relaxing steaming shower after a long day at work, you are actually pouring
that money you earned……right down the drain. With a standard tank style water
heater, by cutting 5 minutes off your daily shower you could save up to 10% on
your energy bill. While you are at it,
dropping the temperature of the water just a few degrees will also help save
significantly.
Avoid the Oven
There are a couple of significant ways you
can save money just by changing how and when you use your oven. As you well know, ovens put out a lot of heat.
And on a hot day, when your A/C is fighting to keep your house cool, using the
oven can make it work even harder. On
those extra hot days consider cooking later in the evening after the hottest
part of the day is past; or consider not using the oven at all that day.
Additionally, if you look at your electric bills, you will notice there are
often two different rates for utility, a peak and an off peak rate, with their
associated time frames listed. Most utility companies charge more during hours
of peak usage. By timing when you run large appliances you can save
significantly on your bills.
Cold Laundry
As we said in tip 3, heating water is a
significant portion of your utility bills, this applies to your clothes washer
as well. Instead of using hot or warm
water in the machine, run your clothes using only cold water. Not only is this much easier on your clothes,
it will save you from heating all that water during your laundry. And there are
more ways to save on laundry….
Full Laundry
Now that you are running your laundry with
cold water, the next thing to do is make sure your washer is being fully loaded
each time. Try not to run partial loads of laundry, as this is highly
inefficient and wastes a ton of energy. Instead, wait until you have enough for
a full load to ensure you are maximizing the efficiency. The savings is even
more noticeable on a top load washer, as the less clothes that are in the
machine, the more water that is required to fill it. But wait….there are more
ways to save with laundry…
Towel in Dryer
When drying a wet load of laundry next
time, try throwing in a clean, dry towel. This will help your dryer run more
efficiently and dry your clothes much quicker.
The less time your dryer is running, the more money you are saving!
Dry Dishes
I get how easy it is to hit that little
“heated drying” button on your dishwasher. But, doing this is a huge drain on
energy consumption. It is much cheaper
and more efficient to simply let the dishes air dry in the dishwasher or dry
them by hand with a towel.
Use Task Lights
We all want to see what we are doing when
we are working on something. This does not necessarily mean that we must light
up the entire room like an operating room. By simply using smaller task lights
and leaving other room lighting off, you can save on your electric bill. An
added benefit is you are more likely to turn off a task light when finished,
than to shut off a whole room light.
Use Fans/Ceiling fans
In order for our furnace and air
conditioning to run efficiently, there needs to be proper air movement through
a home. The use of efficient fans and/or ceiling fans on low setting to keep
active air moving, will ensure that your home is being heated or cooled
efficiently and evenly. Being careful not to create a trip hazard, fans can be
placed at the bottom of stairs to move cold air up the stairs.
Fans can be placed in windows upstairs to
exhaust hot air.
Ceiling fans can be used to circulate air and
keep air moving.
We at EHI hope you have found this information usefull, be sure to check out our other free resources at https://expert-home-inspections.com/resources/
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