Guest Post: Energy Efficiency in a Little Free Time

Have some free time?  How about making your home more efficient?

You have been hearing for years now how we need to conserve energy to save money and make our homes more appealing to buyers. This sounds like a good idea, but you really do not have the money to sink into upgrades, and the cost of professional assistance today is sky high.

Look around at what in your home needs to be more efficient, and you may be surprised to find that you can do these little upgrades yourself in a short amount of time.

We all look forward to a nice hot shower to wake us up in the morning or to relax at the end of a hard day. Many linger as the hot water falls upon them minute after minute. We have been led to believe that showering is more energy efficient than bathing. What most people do not know is that many showerheads can fill a gallon bucket in twenty seconds, which is truly a waste of water. To conserve that water, simply replace your showerhead with a new WaterSense-labeled one and you could save up to 2,300 gallons annually.

Still looking to conserve more water? In about five minutes you can add an aerator your faucets, and it only takes an hour to install a water efficient toilet. Still not enough? – Maybe try replacing your washing machine hose, or drain that extra sand and sediment from your water heater. All of these tasks take less than twenty minutes and will add to great savings over the years.

Maybe you feel you are wasting heat, and sick of seeing your heating bills costing you an arm and a leg. Begin by making sure everything is air tight in your home, looking for places where heat is escaping out or air is sneaking in from outside.

Take a look at your thermostat; are you always moving it up and down? Try installing a programmable one. This will help you instantly preset the temperature in your home, and reduce heating costs.

Check your attic and be sure it is insulated. If an attic is not insulated, you lose heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. Your chimney is another place where heat escapes, so be sure to plug up the flue with a chimney balloon. Of course, windows cause us to lose both hot and cold air. In no time you can insulate those windows, and start saving energy.

Now that summer is over and the days are shorter, we tend to use our lights a great deal more. You definitely do not want to sit in the dark, so why not switch to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs)?  These bulbs last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and use 75% less energy.

A beginner can handle most of these jobs, yet the savings will be pretty impressive. The next time you have an hour or two spare, pick one or two of these energy-efficient projects and improve your home’s worth and efficiency level!

Guest posted offered by DebtConsolidation.com.  Aiding consumers with their different debt consolidation needs for over 10 years