As the summer heat drags on and power bills spike, homeowners frequently ask us for ways to lower their energy costs. Here are some top tips and a method for finding the energy culprits throughout your house.
Shade is Your Friend
Close blinds and curtains on the sunnier side of your home. Also considering using a tinted UV window film on windows that get a lot of sun. You can barely see the tinted film, but you’ll definitely feel less heat entering your home.
Fall is also a great time to plant trees or bushes that will eventually become tall enough to provide you with shade and privacy.
Time Your Energy Usage
See if your power company offers reduced electricity rates during certain hours of the day. (known as “off-peak hours”) If you run your dishwasher, do your laundry, charge your car, etc., during off-peak rates, you can save money.
Take a Peek Behind the Fridge
When’s the last time you cleaned the coils behind or under your fridge? Dirty coils make your fridge work harder, so be sure to carefully clean them a couple of times a year with the soft brush tool of your vacuum cleaner. This will also lengthen the life of your refrigerator.
Relieve the Heat in Your Attic
A hot attic is like an oven on top of your house, with heat radiating down and through your ceiling. Consider ridge vents to help relieve the heat in your attic and reduce the amount of heat seeping into your home. Building scientists have determined power attic vent fans are no longer recommended. Call us for other options if you have a power attic ventilator.
The door to your attic also offers seams for heat to enter your home. We have special attic door insulation covers that will keep your conditioned rooms separated from the hot attic air.
Don’t Forget to Flip the Switch
Make it a habit to flip the switch and turn off the lights when leaving a room. For lamps and other electronics, power strips can be used to turn them off easily. Better yet, smart home devices can now be programmed to turn lights on and off using your voice!
Ditch Grandpa’s Advice
Remember when Grandpa used to say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” When it comes to old air conditioning units, Grandpa was just plain wrong. You may be proud that your 20 year old a/c system is still running, but did you know it’s also likely costing you an arm and a leg on your power bills?
You could be dumping hundreds of dollars per month into a power bill that you’d instead be saving with a new, energy-efficient system. Sorry, Grandpa, but you have to get with the times! Call us for amazing end-of-season savings on new systems we have in the warehouse.
Get Your Ducts in a Row
According to the US Department of Energy, the average home is losing a whopping 30% of it’s conditioned air out of leaky ductwork. You’re spending good money to heat or cool that air, and it’s pouring into your attic or crawl space where it’s wasted.
Duct cleaning is a waste of money, as the leaks in your ducts will simply bring more dust, hair and other debris right back into your ductwork. Duct sealing is the right step, as this will keep your conditioned air in the ducts and keep foreign substances out.
Enjoy the Benefits of a Home Energy Audit
Our Holtkamp Home Energy Audit will analyze every part of your home and demonstrate the efficiency of your home’s energy usage. Our goal is to use professional diagnostic tools to identify problem areas that can be easily fixed. Your windows, doors, ductwork, and more will get a full check-up as part of this audit.
Plus we often find old construction methods and will make recommendations to provide much better comfort with some simple modern updates.
Call now and enjoy a Home Energy Audit for just $199 when you mention this article. (a savings of $50) Our recommendations and the resulting energy savings will more than pay for your home’s energy audit!
Call 770-271-27511 to schedule your Home Energy Audit or contact us.
