Thursday, October 2, 2008

How to Reduce Your Energy Bill - Tricks and Secrets to Cutting Costs in a Big Way

Energy is getting to be very expensive, and a lot of people are feeling the crunch right now. A great place where you can start to save your money is actually at home. Most homes are not very energy efficient.
They waste a lot of energy, and your money.
There are actually hundreds of inexpensive things you could potentially do to reduce the power bill in your house. Depending on the age and state of your house, doing these things can actually reduce your power consumption by more than half and save you a lot of money at the end of the month.
You need to audit your home. Check for things such as:
- holes and leaks- open fireplace dampers- Energystar rated appliances
Then decide where you'd like to spend your time and money. Usually, heating water and the air accounts for the biggest part of the bill (air conditioning in warmer climates). It all depends on your house.
Many things you can do yourself, other things you may need to hire contractors for. These are some things you'll need to deal with:
Insulation and Air leaks
You will need to check for this for sure if your home was built longer than 20 years ago. Many homes built before then are not well insulated at all. Most of the heat in your house escapes through holes in the floors, walls and ceiling and through plumbing penetrations.
Heating and Cooling
Water and air. It takes a lot of energy to maintain the correct temperatures for your home. Make sure you make the most of the energy you are using by insuling the systems properly and using as little as possible. Take short showers instead of baths etc.
Windows
In older houses single-pane windows are common, and a lot of heat can escape through them. Replace any old inefficient windows with new ones that can trap heat. [http://www.renewableenergyathome.com/alternative-power/]Download free eBook - "No-Cost and Low-Cost Energy Saving Tips For Your Home". It is a to-the-point 22 page ebook that you can use as a checklist to make sure you save big money on your next energy bill!
Also, cut your energy bill down to nothing: get expert designs and diagrams to build [http://www.renewableenergyathome.com/alternative-power/]wind power generators into your home. It will cost you much less than you would ever expect (few hundred bucks at the most to make a professional-looking turbine)!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Sullivan http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Reduce-Your-Energy-Bill---Tricks-and-Secrets-to-Cutting-Costs-in-a-Big-Way&id=1546071

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