Increasing the energy efficiency in your home is one way to save a little money by decreasing your utility bills. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to spend a lot of money on making your home more efficient with its energy usage, you may be tempted to just give up before you even get started. Check out these easy ways to save energy and increase the savings in your home without spending any money.
Hang Blankets Over Windows and Doors
You’ve got extra blankets around, right? Dig out that extra supply of blankets that you rarely use but hate to get rid of. Keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer is a perfect use for these blankets. You can go fancy or you can go easy with this project. One important way to increase the efficiency in your home is to reduce heat loss and air infiltration.
Windows and doors are prime combatants in this battle. If you place your hand next to a window or door in your home on a cold day, you will feel an amazing amount of cold air seeping through. That cold air means that your home’s energy efficiency needs a little work. Use old blankets to create window and door quilts that will block that cold air from coming in, and the warm air from going out. Sew blankets together to make the quilts thicker, which will in turn increase the efficiency of this project.
Make Your Own Draft Dodgers
Use fabric scraps to make draft dodgers to place at the bottom of your exterior doors to block drafts. These work on the same principle as the window and door quilts. Sew a tube that will be slightly longer than the width of your door. Tie one end then fill the tube with rice. Tie the other end and you’ve got your draft dodger! Put it in place at the bottom of your door and you can rest assured that your home will be more comfy and energy efficient.
Close Off Unused Rooms and Vents
Don’t heat or cool rooms that aren’t being used. If you have a guest bedroom, office, or other room in your home that isn’t being used, why spend the money to keep it comfortable with heat or air conditioning? Close off these rooms and if you have a vent in the room, close it as well. You can put a draft dodger in place in front of the door to help reduce the flow of warm or cool air going under the door.
Unplug Electronics When Not in Use
Not only do electronics heat up (not good during the summer), but they also use electricity even when they’re not being used. Plug your electronic items into a power strip and get into the habit of turning off the power strip when you’re not using the electronics. I like this Belkin Conserve AV Switch with Energy-Saving AV Surge Protector and Remotethat has a remote so you can turn it off if you have your power strip in awkward areas.
Note – Some people simply can’t do this with any regularity. For those fine folks, go ahead and spend a few bucks for a good timer. You will save a fortune if you do. Here is one on Amazon that you can get for next to nothing:
It takes more than just turning off a few extra lights to make a difference in your utility bills and your home’s efficiency. Try a few of these simple — and free — tricks to increase your home’s energy efficiency and get the ball rolling.
What tips have you heard of for energy savings?
Just a word of warning- closing off a room can sometimes work, but sometimes, especially if you have furniture in the room, it can create the perfect conditions for mold. We had to throw out our king size mattress because keeping the room closed off to heat also kept it very moist because the air that heats the house also dries it. The underside of our mattress was coated in mold and the walls behind our dressers were, too. The dressers were fine, but the mattress had to be thrown out. Not exactly a money-saver. So watch your closed-off rooms carefully for signs of moisture and of mold.