Money Management

Home Energy Saving Tips

Clarky Davis, the Debt Diva, shares tips with you her home energy saving tips:

In this modern world, we can hardly get things going without using energy.

Appliances help make our lives easier and more comfortable but this also means high energy expenses. Did you know that American households pay an average of $2200 on electricity bill per year? And this is not easy money to come by. Some of Clarky Davis's best practices on how to save on energy costs include:

Get a programmable thermostat.
This device can save you over $150 in a year. Program the thermostat according to your lifestyle. For instance, you can drop the temperature when you are sleeping at night or when everybody's out during the day.

Insulate with spray foam and weather stripping.
Keep the cold outside cheaply by using spray foam and weather stripping. Also, replace your caulking when necessary. Take advantage of the sun. During winter, open your window shades to let the sunlight in and provide warmth to the home. But close them during the summer to shield your home from the sun's rays and keep things cool.

Add more insulation to your attic.
This will significantly lower your heating bill. This do-it-yourself project is affordable and can qualify you to a federal tax credit. Check with www.energystar.gov regarding your recommended R value of insulation for your attic.

Insulate your water heater with an insulated jacket.
This will just cost you $20 but in return, you will be able to save about 10% on your water heating cost.

Get a surge protected power strip.
This is especially useful in your living room or in areas of your house where entertainment systems are on almost 24/7. Attaching your television, DVD players, and cable box to a surge protected power strip lets you turn them off when not in use.

Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only on full load.
You can save further by using warm or cold water to wash and automatic setting to dry. Also remember to clean out the filter on the bottom lip of your dryer.

Use appliances at night.
Energy rates are lower during this time. Check with your energy company to see what time the rates decrease and plan to use your high energy appliances during those time.