I recently have been making many modifications to the house in order to reduce our heating bill. Our house gets unusually cold throughout the day, and I know that outside air in coming in somehow. Since the weather in Indiana is getting colder and colder (it is supposed to be 10 degrees tonight), I figure now is as good as time as ever to get my house more energy efficient. Below is a list of things I either have done or will do:
- Install Foam gaskets behind your electric outlet covers. I did this for all the outlet covers that are on an outside wall. They were $2 for 6 at Lowe’s. I also put some duct tape over the phone outlets (we do not have a home phone) because I could feel air coming through. The only problem I see with these is that the outlet cover does not fit as well as it did before, so I fear I am letting in more air through the sides. I also put the child-proof plugs into the socket to stop the air flow through there.
- Install a programmable thermostat. We have one of these that I have installed. The problem is my daughter does not like to have covers on her at night, so I cannot keep the temperature down too low. I used to have it on 66 at night and during the day when no one was here, and I had it on 70 the other times (winter temps). Now that the wife and kid are home full time, I just have it on 70 all the time, except 69 at night. When it heats up, I know I will get better use out of it.
- Vacuum the vents and registers. This is said to save $12 a year. I also check and replace the furnace filter often. When the filter starts getting gray with dust and dirt, I get a new one. I buy the semi-expensive ones because I am a germ freak, but I think it is worth it.
- Use stick-on weather stripping for the windows and door. On a windy day, I took a candle around the house to the windows and doors. If the candle flickers, you have an air leak. I had to install this weather stripping on a few of my windows because of air leaks.
If you do do some major improvements for energy efficiency, then check out EnergyTaxIncentives.org Meet Joe Black psp . This site has details on how you can get tax rebates for these repairs. Since the wife and I are not staying in this house that long, we are not going to make huge repairs, but the small things we are doing are really working. It really feels less cold in the house after making these changes. If anyone needs any handyman tips on these repairs, let me know.
been wanting to do this too. thanks for the reminder. Read my post about getting gift cards to Lowes or Home depot at 20% off and use that with a coupon too. Hence, saving you a lot of money.
Next time put a link, I don’t mind blatant self promotion (as I do it myself). I found you can buy gift cards on eBay for around 10% off. There is also a place on Lowe’s and Home Depot’s website where you can get 10% (maybe 20%) off coupons. And if you go through the self-checkout, they don’t take them from you. I also heard a rumor that they take competitors coupons, like Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Linen’s and Things do. I am still using the $250 or so in Lowe’s gift cards I got for Christmas.