Let’s face it…we can all afford to drop a bit on our utility
bills, right? These are just a few ways
you can attempt to slash your heating and cooling, and electric bills:
Paint your roof white. Sounds nuts, right? It works. Recent studies have shown that homes with white roofs can cut your cooling bill by up to 40%. Simple concept here…for us Floridians, what would we rather be wearing in the middle of July? Black, head to toe, or light colors? Most people would say the lighter colors, because of course black attracts more heat. ***Make sure you check with your HOA, as they may have several very strict rules about what colors you can paint your roof…if they allow it, give it some thought***
Get a new, programmable thermostat. There’s plenty of great new options here. Some new ones you can work direct from your smart phone, program to a night temperature, and a day temperature, you can kick it on when you are a few minutes away from the house, again, from your smart phone. The options here are endless, so get one that fits your lifestyle the best.
Tint your windows. Again, I go back to my Florida example. Ever sat in a car in a parking lot in the middle of July with un-tinted windows? Scorching! By comparison, vehicles whose windows have been tinted have been shown to have a dramatic decrease on interior temperature, and decrease the demand on your ac. Same concept with your home.
Filters & Ducts. See all that dust on your table? How do you think it got there? Excess dust and particles in your air ducts can slow your system down, causing extra strain on your heating and cooling, and an increase on your bill. Have it cleaned, change your filters regularly, and not only will you see a decrease on your bills, but also you will be breathing cleaner air.
Light bulbs. By now, I’m sure we’ve all seen them and thought to ourselves “Are those things really worth it?” Well, they are. In most cases, the LED/energy saver bulbs use just a fraction of the normal ones. Change one bulb, not a big deal…but change them all…you may see a change.
This is just part one of a series designed to help you save
a few bucks come bill time. Obviously there are so many more things you can do, and I will
gather more and put them on here soon.
Have a suggestion or a tip you’d like to share? Feel free to send it to me at
isellcflhomes@gmail.com.