3 Tips to Keep Your Energy Costs Down

It’s no secret that our energy costs continue to rise. To combat these rising costs you can make some simple changes inside your home. Here are the top 3 ways to lower your energy bills. Eliminate Home Drafts All of our homes have small crevices where outside air gets in. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 30% of the energy in a home is wasted because of drafts! That’s a lot of money. The best way to seal the cracks that let air in and out of a home is to use caulk. This is great for around windows and in walls but it doesn’t help with doors. If a door in your home is letting air in, use a towel that you have rolled up to place at the foot of the door. This will block air from coming in or going out. Reverse Your Fan’s Rotation Ceiling fans are a great way to regulate the temperature of a home. Did you know that the direction of your fan’s rotation can make a room warmer or cooler? If a fan is rotating in a clockwise direction, it will move warmer air near the room of a room down into the living area. Conversely, a fan that is rotating counterclockwise will pull cool air near the floor upward which will help to cool the living space. Manipulating the rotation of your ceiling fans is an inexpensive way to regulate your home’s temperature. Remove or Layer Clothing Removing or adding clothing is the most cost effective way to control your comfort in your place. When it gets hot outside, simply remove some of your clothing to keep cool. In the summer months, you can walk around the house in a bathing suit while using a minimal amount of air conditioning. On the flip side, when it gets cold outside you can bundle up in layers of clothes to keep warm This way you don’t have to pay a ton of money to heat your home. When you do have to heat your home be careful. Fires related to heating cause over $3 billion in lost property every year. For more information on how to protect yourself in the event of a fire, visit RentalInsurance.org. Use these simple and inexpensive methods to regulate the temperature in your home, stay comfortable and save money in the process. Tell us how you save money on your energy costs.