Are you like everyone else? Are you tired of paying those expensive energy bills every month? It seems like they are always going up. There is a battle to be fought when it comes to using less energy. It is one that will take vigilance. Are you up to it? Yes, it is great to have appliances that are energy efficient, but there are other things that can be done too. They will cost you a lot less, too.
Compare Rates
This one is a no-brainer. When you are going to buy a new car, you probably get online and research the ones that take your fancy. You might look at miles per gallon, add-ons and more. The main thing that you will be looking at though is the cost. You might find your dream vehicle at one dealer for X amount of dollars while at another dealer, they offer the same vehicle for less. Which one do you buy? The cheaper one of course. They are the same vehicle after all.
The same holds true with energy providers. If you happen to be in a location where there is more than a single provider of energy, such as in Alberta, you might take a peek at the different providers and see who will offer you the best rate. You can do this easily at sites like AlbertaEnergyProviders.ca, which compares?Just Energy Alberta?and other companies. After all, energy is energy and you need to have it in your home. Why not make sure that you are getting it at the best rate?
Get Audited
If you really want to get serious about conserving energy and paying less each month, you might consider getting a home energy audit. These are also known as home energy assessments and this is the first step to take to find out how much energy is being consumed in your home. They will also tell you what steps can be taken to make sure that your home is as energy efficient as possible. These can show you problems that can be corrected and when they are, you might come to find that you are saving considerable amounts of money. To find an energy auditor in your area, contact your local Better Business Bureau.
Appliances
If you come to find through your energy audit that it is time to upgrade to appliances that are more energy efficient, there are ways that you can save money on them. These run the gamut from haggling over the price to buying ones that might be imperfect or used. You don?t always have to pay sticker price though and it is important to know that.
Other Vulnerable Areas
It is also imperative to know the other areas of your home that are vulnerable to losing heat ? or coolness ? on a daily basis.
These include but are not limited to places like:
- Ceilings
- Floors and spaces below ground ? such as basements
- Infiltration ? or air leakage
- Walls
- Windows and doors
It is recommended that you find, or have your energy auditor find the places where there is air leakage.? These areas will most likely be the doors and windows, but they are not limited to those things. Once you have located these spaces, make sure that they get sealed up. You might seal windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping. Other places, such as cracks in walls and floors might require other materials.
Insulation
It has been estimated that more than half of the energy used in our homes is used by heating and cooling them. If you beef up the insulation that is in the attic, floors, walls, and ceilings of your home, this can slow down the flow of the air between the outside and inside of your home, making it much easier to control the temperature in your home. This doesn?t have to be expensive either. You can even use bubble wrap for this ? according to an energy guru by the name of Gary Reysa. He says that this can reduce the loss of heat through your windows by half!
There are so many ways that you can save energy in your home and stop losing it. This list doesn?t even begin to cover them.
What other things can be added to this list that we didn?t go over? Do you use any of the tips on this list? If so, which ones?
Photo courtesy of: Couleur
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Switching to CFL and LED bulbs can be a HUGE difference on the electricity use also.