Home Energy Saving Tips - the best

We could all use some home energy saving tips these days. The idea of energy conservation isn't a fad anymore; it's a necessity if we're going to save money on our monthly utility bill.

We don't have to endorse frugal living to appreciate the value of energy conservation.

Saving energy isn't just using less, but it also entails using it more wisely. Electricity is a good energy value, but that won’t always be the case.

Our choices are clear, pay higher monthly bills, or start saving energy.

The law of supply and demand applies to energy as much as it does to any other commodity, product or service.

Here are what I believe to be the best home energy saving tips that you can implement. I think they're the best because they're either simple and cheap for most people to implement, or they're limited in terms of investment, or they provide good return for the money invested. Try some of these and watch your utility bill begin to drop.

Heating and Cooling

• Turn down your thermostat during the day to save money on heating. Lower the thermostat to the point where you are still comfortable if fully clothed.

  Turn down the thermostat when you retire for the night or leave the house.

• Install a programmable thermostat for your home. They don't cost much, and the money you save in one year pays for the device many times over.

• Upgrade your furnace. If your furnace is in the 50% to 65% efficiency range, you should seriously consider replacing it with a 86%, 92% or 96% efficient furnace.

• Heat a smaller area to stay warmer when you have activities that will keep you in one place for a while. This approach provides a warm environment without the need to heat a larger part of your house that you aren't using.

• Insulate the attic and it will make a tremendous difference in the temperature of your house. Insulating your attic will probably provide you with the highest sustained return on investment of any of the energy saving tips.

• Use window coverings that provide insulation to slow down heat loss in the winter, and heat gain in the summer.

• Seal up cracks and openings around the house. This is one of the double duty energy saving tips. It keeps bugs and water and dust out of your house, and it improves the effectiveness of your insulation by eliminating drafts that help transfer energy.

• Install storm windows as a type of insulation and a way to seal up openings that create drafts.

• In the heat of the summer, move your operation to the basement where it's cool.

• Air condition only one room of the house.

• Limit air conditioning use to the hottest and most humid times of the year.

• Keep doors and windows closed after you have reached a comfortable temperature to retain the cooler air inside your house.

• Use fans to stay cool.

• Install a cool roof or painting your roof white to reduce migration of heat into your living space.

Lighting and Electricity

• Turn off indoor lights when you aren't using them.

• Use compact fluorescent bulbs for lights that you must leave on for long periods.

• Turn off yard lights unless you are expecting some company or you're actively using the area that you're illuminating.

• Turn off your office machines and other home appliances if you're not going to be using them for hours at a time.

Hot and Cold Water

• Install an on demand water heater to help pay for hot water only when you use it.

• Use hot water only when you really need to.

• Wash full loads of clothes.

In the Kitchen

• Use the microwave instead of the oven.

• Use a toaster oven for small cooking tasks.

• When possible, use the stove top instead of the oven.

• Let the oven coast about 10 minutes before removing food.

• Coast the barbeque for about 5 minutes before removing food.

In the Laundry Room

• Turn off your office machines and other home appliances if you're not going to be using them for hours at a time.
• Use the low setting for the dryer.

• Don't use extended wash times unless warranted.

• Capture waste heat from your electric dryer to help warm the house.

Stay tuned for more energy saving tips. There is no end to them.

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