The Smart Home
Winter is here & if you are like me you’re worried about controlling your heating costs as well as keeping your family comfortable. Here’s 7 tips & resources to help you conserve energy, save money & stay comfortable at the same time. And yes, even those who rent their homes can save cash & increase home comfort. No more worrying about those monthly power bills!
Energy Audit – Begin by figuring out where the energy leaks are. Consider booking a professional Energy audit alternatively a Do it yourself Energy audit can help you to find air leaks, check your insulation & your home ventilation system.
Check your Heating system – Furnaces should be looked at by a professional yearly, depending on the type of furnace you have filters will need to be inspected & changed regularly. If your system is more than 15 years old it might well be time for a new, more energy efficient solution. Here’s a guide to the different types of heating systems
Watch the Water - Consider putting in low flow shower heads & facets, replacing an old hot water heater. Turn the tank down to 120 degrees. If your family is going away for longer than 3 days turn the tank off or dial it to vacation mode. Take showers rather than tub baths, do laundry in cold water & don’t run your dishwasher till it’s full.
Find The Power Vampires – I was SHOCKED at how much electricity my old fridge was using! A Kill A Watt or Power Monitoring for Dummies device can save big money by letting you know how much power your appliances are using. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our power company offered rebates for purchasing Energy Star compliant appliances. Calculate how much you can save by switching to energy efficient light bulbs.
Caulking & Weather Striping – Prevent drafts & keep your heat inside the house! Don’t be intimated finding & sealing leaks with weather stripping & caulking is easy to do
Window Treatments – We chose to invest in thermal drapes, in addition to being attractive thermal drapes will keep the house warmer in winter, cooler in summer & will go with us should we move.
Consider A Home Monitoring System – Remembering to turn the heat down is a pain & if your family is like mine you forget to do it far too often. Programming heating/ cooling, lights & appliances, being able to access those systems via a computer on the web or from a smart phone app will save you dollars & increase your comfort.
If you are or are considering becoming a Verizon FIOS customer, check out Verizon Home Monitoring and Control. This system allows you to monitor & control your heating/ cooling, program lights & appliances. Right now new customers can get a FREE Starter kit & the service is only $9.99 per month. Getting started is easy, you’ll save a ton of money & your family will be a lot more comfy!
Disclosure: I am compensated for select Verizon FIOS promotions
I am a total energy conserver I run all appliances on shut off switches(tv, radio, computer) and maintain a chilly 67 in my home during the winter, besides saving money on electricity my kids dont get as sick walking out to bus from a super warm home.
christy, we keep ours around 62 at night, 66 while we’re awake & we stay pretty comfy, being able to control everything from my phone is already saving me money!
It’s finally winter here in TX…Yay!! I am also a Verizon FIOS customer and will check this out further. Thanks for mentioning this.
I keep seeing commercials for the Verizon Fios home monitoring system and I tell my hubby every time I do that we should check into that. What a cool service. Seriously.