DIY Energy Saving Tips for Your Home<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/strong>Homeowners can take care of many of the energy saving<\/em> things themselves without having to call in a professional.\u00a0 <\/span>The cost of these fixes can be low and many just require a little time and elbow grease to accomplish.\u00a0 <\/span>Here are a few of the easier ones to tackle:<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Blanket wrap your water heater \u2013 Water heater wraps (or water heater insulation jacket) can be found at many outlets and run in the range of $30-40.\u00a0 <\/span>These can help to reduce the cost of running your water heater by as much as 10%.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Turn down your thermostat \u2013 Studies have shown that turning down your thermostat by only 3 degrees can result in a saving of about $200 a year.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Wash clothes in cold water wherever possible.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Change your heating\/ac filter regularly \u2013 A small thing like changing the air filter can produce big energy savings.\u00a0 When the filter becomes clogged it causes the system to work harder and increases your electric usage.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Let sunshine in \u2013 Whenever possible open curtains facing the sun to allow the sun to warm up the room.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Close curtains at night \u2013 Curtains help to retain warmth in a room.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Turn ceiling fans to pull air up \u2013 Cold air is held near the floor while warm air rises.\u00a0 <\/span>Reversing the ceiling fans to pull up will circulate the cooler air upward and push the warmer air down resulting in an increase in the overall temperature of the room.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Replace traditional incandescent light bulbs \u2013 Newer LED light bulbs (although more expensive) use far less electricity and have a much longer life.\u00a0 <\/span>Some studies have shown that they can last as much as 100,000 hours or 11 years of continuous use.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Increase attic insulation \u2013 You don\u2019t have to be a professional to add insulation to your attic.\u00a0 <\/span>If you are in an area where temperatures will be sub-freezing it is recommended that you have at least R-30 or about 11 inches or more of insulation.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Insulation around doors and windows \u2013 This is one area where many homes lose much of their heating.\u00a0 <\/span>A simple check to ensure that caulking is not broken or missing around windows and seals around doors (particularly at the bottom) are in good shape will produce a big energy savings.<\/p>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Use Power Strips \u2013 Many of today\u2019s electronics consume energy even when turned off.\u00a0 <\/span>To conserve electricity install power strips on electronic devices and also turn off the power strip when not in use.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/winter-home.jpg\" "\\"winter")
<\/a> <\/span>With winter just around the corner many of us are dreading the inevitable increase in our home energy bills.