Are you looking for painless ways to save money? There are many small changes that you can make around your home that can add up to big savings. Whether you're concerned about your bank account or the environment, saving energy is a great place to start and anyone can do it. Everyone wants to save money, but no one wants to sacrifice comfort to save a few pennies. The trick is to make lots of little changes that you can live with and let the savings add up to a significant amount of money in the bank.
Your first goal should be to cut down on energy costs. Turn off lights when you leave a room and insist that everyone else do the same. Lighting is one of the biggest money suckers in your home, making up about one quarter of your monthly power bill. Incandescent lights (regular light bulbs) give off great amounts of heat, which means that they are an extremely inefficient way to light your home. Most of their power goes to producing heat, not light. All that heat can also add to your cooling bill.
Replacing all of your old normal light bulbs with efficient ones can save you the money you spent in one month. You'll continue to save over time and you'll be doing something good for the environment without putting forth hardly any effort. Fluorescent lamps use only about a fifth of the power that incandescent bulbs use. They're now available in compact styles and with softer light than they used to be, so don't be turned off by the assumption that they'll provide harsh light or hum like they used to. Look for ways to use lighting controls like motion sensors, dimmers, or timers to reduce your bills and save you more money.
Your next concern should be all the appliances in your house. Make sure that filters are changed monthly. Check the seals on your oven and refrigerator. Replacing appliances that have been around for a decade or more could be a really smart move. You could even get a special tax credit from the government for upgrading to energy efficient models.
Check your attic for non-insulated places, such as on the attic door, to determine where heating and cooling might be leaving your home. Check for weather stripping on doors and windows. A roll of insulation and a tube of caulk could save you lots of money on heating. Using a programmable thermostat can save you loads. You can program it to switch off when no one is home and come back on half and hour before you arrive back home. Make sure that fireplaces and their dampers are closed when not in use. Use thick curtains to cover windows in any season. Some even have a thermal backing that can significantly cut costs.
If you really want to get serious, use your breaker box to turn off your hot water heater when it's not in use. It heats water all day long whether you use any or not. What's inside is insulated and generally stays hot until you're ready to use it. Another tip is to cut off electronics at the power strip or unplug them all together. Big adaptors and chargers suck lots of energy, staying in a ready state, even if the power is off on your TV, stereo, etc.
Maximizing energy efficiency in your home is not only good for your budget, it's also good for the environment. Implementing just a few small changes into your life can help you start saving money. You'll have more freedom in your financing and help the environment at the same time. You should immediately reap the benefits and feel good about it, too.