Last December we decided that something had to be done about the bad drafts in our home. You could feel the cool air coming in by all the windows and from underneath our front door. Our home was built in 1995 and had all original double paned windows. These old windows were allowing so much cold air into our home that our heat bill was enormous. In order to keep from running our heater full time, we used space heaters where needed such as in the bathrooms as we were showering, etc. Space heaters feel great but must be supervised. Each year we hear about fires that are started from space heaters being placed too close to things, knocked over by people and left unattended.
This past summer my husband and I made the decision to invest in new windows and a new front door for our home. After checking into various window companies, we chose energy efficient windows and scheduled the installation. We can’t wait to compare this year’s heating bills to those from the previous year’s heating bills. The cool weather has just now started to set in here in Texas, but for now, I can already tell the difference that our new windows are making in the temperature inside our home. For once, I can walk past the windows in our home without feeling cool air blowing in around the window frames.
There are a few things that our family implements into our routine for energy savings around our home. Along with installing the new windows, we also make sure to replace our air filters on time, as well as taking advantage of our programmable thermostats. My husband loves “gadgets” and always uses his phone app to control the temperature of our home. At bedtime, you can see him log into his app and check the temperature settings. When we leave the house for long periods of time, such as a vacation, he uses his app to keep our thermostats at optimal temperatures while we are away.
Does your family make it a priority to cut down on energy use around your home? If so, what ways do you save on energy around your house? This is the best time to begin thinking about ways to cut down on your bills since the holidays are right around the corner. Every penny counts, even if it is just a matter of keeping all your lights turned off in the rooms that aren’t being used. Look around your house now, is there a television running that isn’t being watched or a bedroom light on with no one in or near that room?