Saving Money Starts With Your Home
Everyone is trying to cut costs. They are eating out less, renting movies instead of going to the theater. But did you know one of the best things you can do to save money is to fix up your house? That is right, but finding areas where you house is losing heat and fixing it you can cut your home heating costs dramatically.
Sealing up your house is something we all think about, but not many of us actually do it because it seems like an overwhelming task. But it isn’t really. Many of the energy saving jobs around the house actually only take a few minutes or a couple of hours. We aren’t talking weekend projects here. Just simple things that anyone can do that will help your home retain more heat.
The first thing you will want to do is cut the drafts. Cold air is a funny thing, it can find all kinds of places to seep into your home and steel the warmth. One of those strange places is in electrical outlets that are along the outside walls of your home. If you put your hand up to one of these outlets on a windy day, you will probably feel a little breeze coming through. Part of the reason for this is because the electrical boxes are put into place before the home is insulated. As a result, the insulation goes around the box, not behind it. Some homes have additional insulating sheets put on the outside of the house, but this isn’t always the case so you likely will have a draft coming through the light switches and electrical outlets.
This is actually a very easy fix. Most home improvement stores carry foam outlet insulating kits. These are foam inserts that fit inside the electrical box and help to seal out drafts. You simply take off the outlet cover and fit the insert inside. There are cutouts to go around the switches and outlets so they pop in very quickly. Put the cover back on and you are done!
Another common drafty area is the bottom of doors. Thresholds, especially wood ones, get old and start to wear out. As a result they don’t meet the bottom of the door anymore so the cold air comes through. This is also a simple fix. You can buy a new threshold at home improvement stores, or you can add some weather stripping along the bottom of the door if the gap isn’t too big. One sure way to stop drafts from outside doors is to put a rolled up towel or blanket along the bottom. This is a great way to keep the cold outside where it belongs!
These are just a couple of ways that you can keep the cold air out in the winter. They are simple fixes that will save you money and warmth every winter!
