How to Cut Energy Costs in Your Home This Winter

Money is tight. The budget is small. Yet, the bills will continue to come in. Some costs will increase in the winter. This article will give ten ways to cut the costs in your home this winter. You will learn what you can do now so you don't break the budget later. Sometimes, extreme budgeting is the only way to get the bills paid, especially when gas prices and higher food costs make everything else seem unaffordable.

1. The first thing you want to do is get a device to put on your thermostat that lowers the temperature while you are gone during the day and increases it right before you get home. If you do this, you can significantly cut your electricity and/or oil/ gas costs this winter. There is no reason to heat the home when you aren't there. I would highly advise that you don't make the temperature differential too steep, however, if you have a big home or one that heats slowly. If you turn your thermostat down to 60 degrees fahrenheit and then heat things back to 70 each day, you could end up spending almost as much money because the house will cool down a good bit and then have to be reheated. Try a smaller differential, such as 64 degrees to 70, or 66 to 72.

2. Fix any leaky faucets. You may spend $100 to have the faucets fixed, but think of all the money you'll save in water over the long term. You could go on the internet and find step by step instructions on how to fix the faucet yourself even. Or, call and ask the repairman. Once, my refrigerator needed defrosted, and I actually called a technician who told me how to do it. I was actually successful.

3. Use warm water instead of hot water to do your laundry. This will save on heating costs of heating your water.

4. Replace outdated windows that allow heat to escape. This one is a no-brainer. If you get more energy efficient windows, you'll be sure to save money in the long run on heating costs.

5. Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. If you leave the back door open for an hour, think of all the heat will escape. This is especially true if your screen door has the screens still in it instead of glass!

6. Turn off all ights before going to bed and only leave one light on when you are gone from the house. You don't need to sleep with all of the lights on. If you want one, go ahead. And if you leave, you won't deter very many extra criminals from breaking into your house by having one light on as opposed to ten of them.

7. Do not overstuff your refrigerator or freezer. If you do, it is harder for the chill to circulate, and the refrigerator will have to work harder to chill the items in it, using more electricity and power.

8. Don't heat unused rooms in the home. Turn off the vents for a room that you will not be using. You don't need heat in a storage closet, for example.

9. Get energy saving lightbulbs. This will allow you to purchase lightbulbs less often while conserving energy and decreasing your costs for lighting.

10. Use candles in the home whenever you can, instead of turning on lights. Talk about energy efficiency. And this idea has been around for centuries!