The Budget Room

Do you ever look at the utility bill envelope in your mail and dread opening it? This can be one of the largest elements of our household budget and one which causes the most amount of pain. We always swear that we are going to look for energy-saving strategies for next time.

Energy-saving strategies run the gamut between relatively cheap and very expensive. A homeowner may not be in a position to consider a capital intensive project, such as putting energy efficient windows in, but will always be looking at ways to reduce the utility pain.

We all love those hot summer days, but the air-conditioning seems to run without stopping. While we love to be outside, we especially look forward to the cold air inside our home, even though this is a relative luxury. You may not know that if you set up a dehumidifier inside you could significantly reduce your bill by improving your air conditioner efficiency. In addition, as it will not feel so humid inside you will be able to turn up the thermostat more and still feel comfortable.

You may think that a simple light bulb will not represent too much of a cost and this may be true in certain respects, but one of your energy-saving strategies should be to outfit the lights in your most trafficked rooms with motion sensors. In this way, they will turn on and off without you thinking about it and over a period of time this will represent a very significant saving.

If you fit draft stoppers in any places where you suspect you have a problem, you can eliminate those pesky drafts and also make sure that the air inside the home remains unmodified. After all, you have spent enough money to get the temperature to where you like it and it makes no sense to waste it.

If you are in the mind to take on a much larger project, you could consider the installation of energy efficient windows. Recent legislation has introduced tax credits for those who would like to reduce financial load and over time you will likely be able to see a net reduction through lower bills.

If you have ever been disturbed when you are watching TV or a favorite movie by a pesky draft and wonder where it is coming from, then you should take time to do some detective work. Look around all windows and entryways and treat problem areas with a window or door draft stopper. As these are made from polypropylene and filled with ground corn cob, they are great insulators and last a long time.

Energy-saving strategies should start with simple solutions, such as seeking out drafts and fixing them, making sure that you have no lights burning in empty rooms and then moving on to any larger projects as you check off your list.