Tips to Lower Utility Bills this Winter

Just a few quick ideas about how to have lower utility bills this Winter. Heating costs are set to rise - substantially! Just how much is anybody's guess.

The good news is - there a some simple and inexpensive changes anyone can make around the house to help ward off those higher heating bills. Try these easy ideas:

Turn down your thermostat. Experts say you can save 10% off your heating bill if you lower your thermostat by 5 degrees! Not bad.... I'll take that $20 I'm saivng and buy some compact flourescent light bulbs. They give about the same light and cost way less to use.

If you swap out the light bulb on your fron porch and put in a compact flourescent bulb instead - you could save about a dollar a month. That pays off the bulb in the first few months you have it! And they last for up to 8 years!

Phantom loads on your electrical system can really add up. You turn off your TV at night and the coffeemaker and the DVD player. But they keep using precious and increasingly expensive electricty even while you think they are "turned off".

The TV has a remote sensor - as do most DVD players. And that little clock in your coffeemaker might be nice to have but it eats up juice too! Unplug it. And the TV and DVD player when you don't use them.

The same goes for your PC and the printer and the wireless router and - well you get the picture. We use those little power strips to plug in the stereo and TV and the computer and monitor and printer. Cut the power at the power strips. One family on the East Coast where electricity prices are just outrageous - figure they saved around $15 each month - just by turning off all those little power strips while they are not in use!

Read on for more ways to lower utility bills.

Find those air leaks for lower utility bills

One easy way to keep your heating costs down this Winter is to eliminate air leaks. Ideally, you'd want to seal up those drafty leaks before adding any insulation in your walls or attic.

Tips for detecting air leaks:

You may already know where some air leakage occurs in your home, such as an under-the-door draft that makes you want to put on socks. But you'll probably need to search to find the less obvious gaps.

Look between foundation and walls, and between the chimney and siding. Also inspect around the fol­lowing for any cracks and gaps that could cause air leaks


* Door and window frames

* Mail shutes

* Electrical and gas service entrances

* Cable TV and phone lines

* Outdoor water faucets

* Where dryer vents pass through walls

* Bricks, siding, stucco, and foundation

* Air conditioners

* Vents and fans.

You can use a caulking compound to seal leaks in a variety of places throughout your home, including around windows and door frames. In addition to plugging air leaks, caulking can also prevent water damage inside and outside of the home when applied around faucets, ceiling fixtures, water pipes, drains, bathtubs and other plumbing fixtures.

These simple ideas just might save yu some money heating your home this Winter! Make some simple home improvements around your house and you can have lower utility bills!

Cut Your Heating Costs this Winter

Magnificent Autumn leaves paint our countrysides and remind us of how incredibly wonderful all of God's creation is. The beauty and splendor of Fall is rapidly upon us. Hillsides all across Vermont are filled with a delightful palette of colors. Midwest farmers are working their fields - bringing in their milo and corn crops.

The crisp and cool mornings bring pleasantly warm days and cooler evenings. Most of North America is enjoying a mild and hopefully colorful October! As the Autumn leaves start to fall - filling our yards with food for next year's lawns and gardens we all know that Winter is just around the corner.

All too soon we'll be turning on the heater if you haven't already. Economists and government agencies are warning us almost daily that this winter will bring higher prices for heating our homes.

We can take some simple and inexpensive steps to help minimize the pain of higher heating costs. Add insulation in your attic if you have one. Seal all those drafty doors and windows where colder air comes in. You remember those drafts from last Winter don't you? If you have storm windows - make sure they have a good tight seal. If you don't have storm windows - cover your windows with plastic. Add some nice thick drapes or window coverings.

Many families are sealing off unused parts of their homes. Some folks save money by turning down their thermostat a few more degrees and use a small, radiant or space heater to warm a single room. You can take steps now and have lower utility bills this Winter!

Lower your Utility Bills in a more Energy efficient Home!

Home heating costs are set to skyrocket this winter. Economists are projecting double digit increases in home heating bills this winter. We can soften the blow!

Laying fiberglass rolls is usually the easiest for a DIY job. If you have any type of insulation between the rafters, install the second layer over and perpendicular to the first (the second layer of roll insulation should be unfaced with no vapor retarder). This will help cover the tops of the joists and reduce heat loss or gain through the frame. Also, when laying down additional insulation, work from the perimeter toward the attic opening.

Never lay insulation over recessed light fixtures or soffit vents. Keep all insulation at least 3 inches away from can lights, unless they are rated IC (Insulated Ceiling). If you are using loose fill insulation, use sheet metal to create barriers around the openings. If using fiberglass, wire mesh can be used to create a barrier.

When adding additional insulation, you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass batts or blankets, and vice-versa. If you use fiberglass over loose fill, make sure the fiberglass batt has no paper or foil backing; it needs to be unfaced. If you choose to add loose fill, it may be wise to hire a professional, as the application requires the use of a blowing machine, although some home improvement stores offer rentals of this machine.

It may seem odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely allow cold air to enter the attic through vents. However, this combination is the key to a durable and energy-efficient home. Here’s why: in the winter, allowing a natural flow of outdoor air to ventilate the attic helps keep it cold, which reduces the potential for ice damming (snow that melts off a roof from an attic that is too warm and then re-freezes at the gutters, causing an ice dam that can damage the roof).

Proper insulation and air sealing also keeps attics cold in winter by blocking the entry of heat and moist air from below. In the summer, natural air flow in a well-vented attic moves super-heated air out of the attic, protecting roof shingles and removing moisture. The insulation will resist heat transfer into the house. The most common mistake homeowners make when installing insulation is to block the flow of air at the eaves. NEVER COVER ATTIC SOFFIT VENTS WITH INSULATION use rafter vents and soffit vents to maintain airflow.

More ways to lower utility bills this winter

Lower utility bills are possible. Cut your heating bills

This morning I had to wear a sweater. The cool morning air felt great. And it reminded me of the inevitable - cooler temperatures are just around the corner for many of us in North America. Already here in some of the northern provinces and states!

Get ready now. Seal those drafty window leaks. Add some insulation in your walls and attic. Many are saying that attic insulation will pay off the quickest - in terms of reducing your heating bills.

Do you have rooms you don't use that often? If you're like our family you might have a room or two which rarely gets used. Seal it off. Close the heating vent. Put plastic over the windows. And thick curtains or drapes.

Can you install a programmable thermostat? Many families have save the cost of the thermostat in the first year they had it.

You can realize lower utility bills this winter if you act soon. Save your money and help save our planet at the same time.