Go Green

The weather outside may be frightful, but here are a few ways to keep the inside delightful and not break the bank. With just a few changes in your lifestyle you can save the planet by cutting down on your energy use and save a little pocket change.

Energy Saving Tips for the Winter Ahead:

Close up rooms that are not used on a regular basis, like a guest bedroom. Close the vents, turn down the thermostat, and close the door. There is no sense heating a room that is not occupied
Turn down the thermostat and use space heaters in frequently used spaces. Turning down your thermostat even 1 degree can save you 3% on your energy bill!
Minimize the use of ventilation fans. A bathroom fan can suck all the heated air out of the average home in little more than an hour.
Keep your furnace, heat pump, or other heating equipment maintained and running as efficiently as possible. Look into purchasing a maintenance agreement. In the long run it could save your family lots of money.
Ceiling fans do more than keep you cool during the summer; they can warm during the winter. It’s as simple as flipping a switch to change the direction of the blades, which pushes warm air down.
Keep the water heater temperature at 120 degrees or cooler.
When washing clothes always wash full loads and use cold water whenever possible.
We all love those long hot showers in the winter, but by cutting your shower time in half you can save 33% on hot water costs.
Let Mother Nature lend a warm hand. Open up the curtains and blinds on all South facing windows during the day and let the sunlight heat the house naturally. But be sure to close them before the sun goes down to keep the heat within the house.


Gracie Mohr