Saving money on energy is not just good for the planet – it’s good for your pocketbook as well!
You can save plenty of money with a few easy and small changes, like these:
- Simply insulating your home thoroughly can make a huge difference in your heating/cooling bills. Seal areas around windows and under doors to prevent drafts. If your home is older, look into replacing old windows with energy efficient windows.
- Installing programmable thermostats can yield a cost savings of about 30%, but only if you use them. About 25 million households own programmable thermostats, but less than half know how they work. When you use your thermostate, keep it a couple of degrees lower in the winter, and wear sweaters; in summer, keep it a couple of degrees higher o and use fans.
- If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, turn off your AC or heating during the day.
- Get into the habit of turning off lights every time you leave a room, and replace your old incandescent bulbs with energy efficient ones.
- Shut down/unplug computers, TV’s, sound systems, and appliances when not in use; if you plug these items into a power strip, you can turn them off without unplugging them.