The Top 10 Essential Homeowner Money-Saving Tips

8/25/2017 (Permalink)

Thermostat, Air conditioner, Sun, Fans, Shower, Air Filters, Laundry, Windows - Small Solutions for Big Savings

The Top 10 Essential Homeowner Money-Saving Tips

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Owning a home can be expensive.  Mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance and upkeep add up. We are all about making you life easier and have provided you with these money saving tips..

You don't have to be a home improvement expert to utilize these free and cheap methods that can make a huge difference!

Here are 10 of the best energy saving tips that will make your energy bills shrink.

1. Automate your thermostat or use a post-it note

In my first home, I would manually turn up the thermostat as I walked out the door to work, and I would manually adjust it down when I came home in the evening.

Last year I replaced all of the thermostats in my house with the Nest learning thermostat. It learns your schedule to keep your home comfortable when you are home. Nests’ are pricey, but according to the

Some energy companies send you a $249 Nest Thermostat at no cost when you sign up for certain plans. Others give you an instant $100 rebate – no paperwork necessary. Even more energy companies offer traditional mail-in rebates

I wish I had known about this before buying mine. Oh well, my mistake for you to learn. Check with your utility provider to see what might be available in your area.

Set your thermostat as high as you feel comfortable – try 78ºF or higher when you’re at home, and 85ºF when you’re away.

If you can’t get a free or discounted smart thermostat from your utility provider, you can go the manual route like I used to. Go get a sticky note, and put it on the door you take to leave your home. Write a reminder to change the thermostat as you walk out the door. Simple and free.

Savings: $173 year (average for a programmed thermostat)

Cost: $0 – $250 per thermostat

Time: Varies

2. Give your air conditioner some fresh air

Have you ever tried running really fast with a rag over your mouth? I haven’t either, but that’s what most people are expecting their AC units to do.

Many AC units are surrounded by shrubbery that can restrict the airflow needed to make the systems run optimally. Take a few minutes today or this weekend and look around your AC’s outdoor unit:

• Provide at least 1’ of clearance all around the units.
• Trim any bushes that are touching the units
• Remove any leaves and dirt around the unit
• Remove any other obstructions like that rotting Ping-Pong table leaning up against it
• If there is significant mud or dirt inside the unit have it professionally serviced

Cost: FREE

Time: 20 minutes

3. Block out the sun

All of those windows in your home are the largest source of heat flowing inside during hot summer days.

Closing the blinds and/or curtains blocks the sun from coming inside in the first place and will help prevent it from heating up, reducing the need for the AC to cool it down. Blocking the sun is especially important on the western and southern facing windows that receive the most direct sunlight.

Savings: $15-$35 / year

Cost: FREE

Time: none

4. Use fans

A ceiling fan can make your room feel up to 7 degrees cooler. Fans will allow you to turn your AC up a couple extra degrees, saving even more money.

Savings: $35-$53 / year

Cost: FREE (assuming you have ceiling fans)

Time: none

5. Shower power

Do you take a hot shower in the summer steaming up the bathroom mirrors? If so you’re adding heat back into your home that needs to cool.

Take a quicker shower. And take a warm shower instead of a burning hot one. Using less hot water will also save energy.

Savings: $50 / year

Cost: FREE

Time: 10 minutes

6. Replace air filters

Replace your HVAC filters at least every 6 months, preferably every 3. Clogged, dirty filters block airflow and reduce your system’s efficiency. In the worst case scenario, a wrongly sized filter or dirty filter can cause your system to burn out, requiring replacement.

Never use a higher rated MERV filter than the one you replace, unless a licensed professional tells you otherwise. The MERV rating is listed on the filter, and it will be something like 8, 11, 13, 15, or more. The higher the rating the more dust the filter collects, but the harder the system has to work. Using a higher rated filter for a system not designed to handle it is bad news.

Savings: 5% – 15% / year on energy

Cost: $5-$30

Time: 10 minutes

7. Hang out your laundry

Yeah, I don’t do this either. It takes too long. In the summer, it’s too hot out.

For a long time, I used a clothes rack but now I have an even more ingenious way to dry my clothes.

I bought a bunch of plastic hangers to hang up ALL of my shirts, shorts, and pants. Now that I have to hang my clothes up anyway, I just pull them out of the washing machine and put them up on the hangers to dry. Boom! I’m just skipping the drying part because they dry in my closet – for free.

For the things I don’t hang up (socks) I’ve got a drying rack. It takes up very little space.

Savings: $80 – $250 / year depending on household size

Cost: $30 for hangers or racks

Time: Varies by method

8. A bright idea?

LED lighting runs cooler than incandescent bulbs. Only about 10% to 15% of the electricity that incandescent lights consume results in light. The rest is turned into heat, and that heat needs to be cooled by your AC system.

Last year I made the switch to LED lights – but not all of the lights in my house, and that’s key for saving money. Check out ‘Are LEDs worth it?’

I use Cree LED light bulbs in my house. I found them to have the most natural lighting (I tried four different brands).

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of the bulbs!

Savings: Varies on usage

Cost: $9 – $20 / bulb

Time: 2 minutes / bulb

9. Grilled to perfection

In the summer consider cooking primarily using the microwave, crockpot, or grilling outside to avoid heating up your home with the oven and stove.

Savings: At least a few bucks and your kitchen won’t be as hot.

Cost: FREE

Time: None

10. Fix leaky windows

If you have a 1/64 inch gap around a single window – which is REALLY TINY – it is the equivalent of a 3.27 square inch hole in your wall – which is REALLY BIG.

If you have a 1/32 inch gap around a single window, it is the equivalent of a 6.5 square inch hole in your wall. That’s big enough to put your fist through!

If you have ten windows in your house, that’s a lot of big holes that are draining your wallet year after year.

To determine if your windows are leaky close all your windows, doors, and the flue damper in your chimney if you have a fireplace. Use a stick of incense and move it around each window to see if there is air flow. If there is, you’ve got a leak!

Weather-stripping is an easy and cost-effective way to save money on energy costs and improve comfort by reducing drafts. It’s something any homeowner can do. Peel-and-stick weather-stripping is easy and useful for sealing drafts:

1.  Remove any dirt and grease from the window jambs or sash.
2. Dry the areas with a rag.
3. Cut the weatherstrip to the right length
4. Peel off the back
5. Press the sticky part to the surface.

Now check your windows from the outside

1. Inspect for any cracked or damaged caulking around the windows where the casing meets the house, and around the window frame.
2. Scrape and clean away any damaged caulking
3. Apply a fresh bead of paintable acrylic latex to reseal the window. 

Savings: 10%–20% of your heating and cooling costs per year

Cost: $30-$50

Time: 2–3 hours