When I was growing up my mother had this small metal box that she would put coupons in. Each weekend while I watched Fat Albert on television, she would comb the weekly sales circulars for all the good deals on cake mix and frosted flakes. I think she thought that if she could save our family a few bucks on groceries then she could justify some unneeded but truly appreciated extras for my brother and I. My mother was a great woman who like most people was just looking to save a few bucks.
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up so saving money was paramount to my parents ability to keep a roof over our heads. Whether you want to take your family on a trip to Disney Land or see a few more movies at the local theater, saving money can make these dreams become a reality.
Here are five things you can do around your house to save some cold hard cash this year…
1. Seal Entry Doors
- The entry doors in your home should fit snugly into their frames. Most entry door problems are a direct result of an improper installation. If your entry door is hung incorrectly, gaps around the door will form over time allowing cold air in during the winter and warm air in during the summer. Inspect your entry doors during the winter months as this is when they will have shrunk to their smallest size. Replace worn out weather stripping around your entry doors and if all else fails consider replacing them with new energy-efficient doors. There are an extensive line of replacement entry doors available in the market today including insulated steel, fiberglass, foam filled iron doors and even beautiful solid wood doors if your willing to keep up with the maintenance.
2. Insulate Attic Space
- When I stilled lived at home with my parents my bedroom was the entire upstairs of our 3 bedroom 1950’s bungalow. It sure was nice having the entire upstairs to myself but once the summer came it was a completely different story. See we didn’t have central air until I got to high school and as most people know heat rises. Being that our house was a bungalow there wasn’t much attic to insulated but this is a different story with most homes today. A poorly insulated attic space will not only have a major impact on your utility bills but also the overall comfort of your home. The United States Department of Energy recommends an attic R-Factor between R-49 and R-60 for the state of Michigan. Adding additional attic insulation is one the most effective and cost conscious ways to increase the overall energy efficiency of your home.
3. Insulate Home Slab
- If your home was built on top of a slab rather than a basement, then proper insulation is a necessity. Heat from your home will take every opportunity to move towards a cold area. This form of heat transfer is called conduction. A simple example of conduction occurs when you place a cold spoon in a hot cup of coffee. Before long the spoon heats up all the way to the end of the handle even though it is not submerged in the hot coffee. Heat energy is conducted towards the slab perimeter so long as the perimeter is colder than the slab. By properly installing rigid foam board insulation at the slab’s edges, the heat transfer is slowed considerably and can result in as much as a 10% – 20% decrease in your heating bills.
4. Prepare The Chimney
- Nothing is better than sitting next to a beautiful fire on a cold winter night but if you don’t properly prepare your chimney during the off-season you may be losing more energy than you think. All chimneys are equip with a damper, a metal flap that regulates air flow through the chimney. Over time these dampers can warp producing a loose fit and allowing air to leak past them. Have a professional inspect your chimney damper to make sure you are not losing all your energy up the chimney.
5. Replace Inefficient Windows
- The windows in your home provide shelter against Mother Nature and a secure portal to the world beyond. If we lived in homes with no windows life would be pretty boring but our energy bills would be a heck of a lot lower! There is no doubt about it, the windows in your home are and always will be the weakest link when it comes to energy loss. Even the most energy efficient windows do not insulate as well as a 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 wall. Installing new energy efficient windows will have a major impact on your home’s overall energy consumption. The US Department of Energy agrees that as much as 30% of your home’s energy is lost through the inefficient windows currently occupying your walls.
These are only a few of the many ways you can save money every year around your home. Pure Energy Window Company is a Family Owned and Operated residential replacement window company that has decades of replacement window experience. If you and your family are considering replacing the windows in your home, give Pure Energy a call today at (844) 449-9990 or click on the link below to schedule a FREE In-Home Window Consultation.
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