4 Things You Should Be Doing To Reduce Winter Expenses
Last month we provided you with 4 ways to reduce your costly winter energy bills. This week Majic Window has compiled another 4 easy things you can do to reduce your winter expenses immediately! Check them out below.
Wash Clothes In Cold Water
It’s no surprise that heating water counts for a large percentage of a home’s energy bill. By switching your washing habits to wash clothes in cold water you can save up to 40 cents per laundry load. Depending on how frequently you wash your clothes that small savings could really add up!
Use Compact Florescent Light Bulbs
Replacing the most used light bulbs in your house with compact florescent light bulbs is an effortless, easy thing anyone can do to save a quick buck on their electricity bills. Compact florescent light bulbs use 75% less power and last up to 6 times longer than standard light bulbs. Studies show that switching to compact florescent light bulbs can reduce your electric bill by as much as $40 per light bulb over the course of the bulb’s life. Now that’s a savings!
Add Weather Stripping To Doors
There’s a general rule stating that if you can slip a piece of paper under you door, or between your door frame and the door, then you are losing precious warm air to the outside elements. By installing door sweeps and weather stripping you can block out unwanted cold air drafts and keep the warm air inside. Don’t heat your whole neighborhood! Use weather stripping to keep your heat in your house.
Get A Free Home Energy Audit
There are a lot of energy companies that offer free home energy audits. Most companies offer an online audit, but some companies will even go as far as to come to your home to conduct a comprehensive in-home audit. Audits can help you identify where heat is escaping from your house. Utilizing these audits would be an excellent way to cut costs for free!
Control Leech Electronics
You probably already know this, but a friendly reminder doesn’t hurt. Your home is filled with dozens of energy-draining devices that are leeching onto your electricity and sucking up a lot of it even when they aren’t being used! Gadgets like televisions, computers, and phone charges are devices guilty of doing this. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that idle gadgets burn up more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year, which translates to roughly $10 billion worth of energy. The solution to this problem is simple. All you have to do is unplug your leech electronics when they’re not being used. Of course, you might not want to give up the convenience of having your devices ready to go at a moment’s notice. If that’s the case there are a couple alternatives you could look into. You could invest in an affordable power switch to plug into wall outlets. In doing so, you could control the power to any outlet with the simple flick of a switch. Yet another great option is a power adapter with a built in timer. This is a great option for items that will only be used during a certain time of the day like space heaters and holiday lights. A smart power strip would also do the trick. Smart power strips shut down power outlets when they sense that gadgets connected to those outlets have entered into standby mode. All in all, there are a lot of great ways to limit the electricity usage from leech electronics. Make sure to look into one of these options for major savings.
From our Majic family to yours, we want to ensure that you’re saving as much money as you possibly can this winter season. Start utilizing these 4 money saving tips today. Have any other suggestions to lower energy bills? We want to hear them! Make sure to check in for more Majic energy saving tips to come.
