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Prepare
Now, Save
Money in Winter
Whether you like it or not and whether you come prepared or
not, winter is coming. So better not sit on your couch and
wait for it to come like a dooms day, move and be prepared!
Winter means one thing: cold air. But for those who are
conscious enough to notice, winter means larger electric
bills. Yes, it is true. Aside from summer, winter is the
season of the year where your electric bills skyrocket to
digits that cost you financial burden. Why? Because we need to
warm our home. Our home should have the right temperature to
give us comfort. And the modern way to do it is by turning on
our heating system. This consumes the biggest portion of our
electric bill. Fortunately, we have the whole Fall to prepare
for it. And to prepare for it means that we must have the
right tool and proper information on how to save during the
coming season.
The fireplace Getting our fireplace ready will certainly
yield to better savings; and fall is the best time to clean
and repair our fireplace. Make sure that the dumper is tightly
sealed when not using them. A small space would let the cold
air rush in and send the warm air out. If you were using
electric heating system, an opening on the fireplace would
mean bigger work to maintain the place warm. Let professional
contractor to do the proper maintenance. They are certainly
more capable in securing your fireplace.
When you decide to use the fireplace, you can turn down your
heater. This will save you as much as 8% on heating cost.
The furnace The furnace will work extra effort if the filter
is full of dirt. This will equate to energy waste since the
furnace will consume more power against the service it brings.
To avoid this, make sure that your filter is clean. The
owners manual will tell you how to clean the filter. A clean
filter will let you breath clean air around your house. A
clean filter saves you 5% on heating cost.
The duct Small leaks on duct will certainly result to lost
heat so make sure that this is regularly checked. Usually
ducts are located on unheated places. This is another reason
why heat is lost. Insulate the ducts by wrapping it with R-6
or higher fiberglass. Never use cloth-backed tapes. You can
also wrap them with UL-approved metallic or plastic tapes and
mastic sealants. The note that leaking ducts work 30% more on
your heating system so make sure they are sealed and secured.
The solar heat You need not have solar panels on your roof
to use the sun as the source of heat. All you have to do is
use open your drapes during the day to warn your room without
using electricity. Just close them at night to keep the warn
air inside. Reduction of the use of heating system during the
day will let you cut as much as 10% on your electric
consumption
The openings Openings on your doors, windows, joints and
sills will let the cold air outside to go in and the warm air
from the inside to go out. Make sure that these openings are
sealed with either sealant or weatherstripping. It will help
reduce the work of the heating system immensely.
The thermostat A programmable thermostat or a centralized
heating system will let you save on the heating cost. The
programmable thermostat will let you set your desired room
temperature on a specific period of the day. This is much
useful if you are leaving your home or are going to sleep
overnight. The centralized heating system on the other hand
will give you the ultimate control on the temperature of every
room. These 2 will let you decide how warm a room could be.
One interesting thing to note is that a centigrade lower on
your heating system will let your save uas much as 5% on your
heating cost.
The water heater Households can set the heating system
between 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This range is ideal on
both mobile homes and regular homes. Some prefer an even lower
temperature. Experiment with this to determine your comfort as
you gradually reduce the temperature.
Get more tips on how to save $$ on
utilities: Senior Tips
on Utilities |
