Effective ways to make sure your home is energy & cost efficient …
Home Energy Articles Series
Part 1 – Determining current costs.
Part 2 – Cost over savings analysis.
Part 3 – Getting started finding your biggest needs.
Part 4 – Start small for big savings.
Part 5 – Your window savings.
Your window savings
============================
No one would argue the need for windows in a home, but they can cost you a great deal of money when it comes to energy. Windows allow for air to pass through them easily and In effect, they can be a huge part of you energy usage.
Those that have windows that are not properly insulated, could be looking at up to 35 percent of their energy loss to come from those windows. That’s 35 percent of the energy that you could save if your windows were working for you and not against you.
Should You Replace Or Repair?
There are several things that you can do to repair them. But first you may need to consider carefully the benefits of replacing your old windows. If you have older windows, it may be necessary to replace them.
Windows on a home should be replaced every ten to twenty years, depending on the type of window and its insulation. It is not so much their age, though, as the way in which they work.
The optimum usage you should be looking for is a good level of protection. You want the heat to stay in during the winter months and the cold to stay out. And reverse that for the summer months. But this can be hard to achieve with older windows.
Windows that have less than two panes of glass should be replaced for additional energy efficiency, if your budget allows for it.
If there are cracks, breaks and other areas where the window is compromised, these too should be replaced beyond a doubt. Sometimes these leaks are not obvious, but you can sometimes feel a draft from badly insulated windows, especially in the winter.
When it comes to replacing windows, it is not always necessary to purchase the most expensive windows you can find out there. But, because the windows in your home make up such a large portion of the energy that you use, you want to purchase the highest quality, energy efficient windows that you can afford.
Your windows should look the way that you want them, but it is more important to get those that will keep temperatures even throughout the home instead.
The cost of replacing your windows can be a big expense, but the fact is that they can save you a great deal of money over the long haul.
Waiting for a couple of months (or next year) before purchasing new windows may be just fine. But in the meantime, why not consider implementing some of these energy saving tips you can do right now and save yourself some money?
Read More Related Articles
Hope you read all five articles in this series. For a more “Definitive guide to energy efficient homes, please visit my energy efficient home guide to discover the rest of the information you’ve been searching for at:
Helpful Tips to make sure your home is energy & cost efficient …
Home Energy Articles Series
Part 1 – Determining current costs.
Part 2 – Cost over savings analysis.
Part 3 – Getting started finding your biggest needs.
Part 4 – Start small for big savings.
Part 5 – Your window savings.
Start Small Towards Generating Big Savings,
============================
You will find many different tips and tricks to help you save money on your home’s energy needs in this energy conservation series.
But it is always a better strategy to smart with the small projects and work your way up to larger changes in your home. Now, that does not mean that you can not do both, but we will begin talking about some of the small, inexpensive ways that you can begin to see energy efficiency in your home.
In the this article and the ones to follow, we will list some pretty simple things you can do right now to get started at saving your hard earned money.
Managing Your Water Heater
There are several things that you can do to improve the efficiency of your water heater to save energy.
Lower The Temperature
Do you realize that you are heating water to a certain temperature for your shower or your washing machine only to bring that temperature down by mixing it with cold water so that it is usable? Most people can not use straight hot water and that’s where some savings can come in. Lower the hot water temperature to the lowest comfortable setting for your needs.
If you have an energy efficient hot water heater, you can save a great deal of money just not heating the water as hot as you normally would. Most hot water heaters have dials that you can use.
You can lower it just a bit or a good amount, just do not drop it below 120 F, as this is an unsafe level for bacteria and sanitation reasons. This is especially helpful if you have an electric heater.
Install A Timer
Another thing to consider doing is to install a timer on your water heater. What is the sense of warming water over and over during the day if you are not home or do not use it during the day? Have the water heater timer kick on before you come home from work so that hot water is ready and waiting for you.
Even better is insuring that the timer keeps the heater off during the night when you know you won’t be using it. You can again set the temperature on your hot water heater to aid in getting it right.
Insulate Your Heater
Probably one of the largest benefits in regards to your water heater is to have it insulated. Most of the time, your water heater will already be insulated, you just need to take it to the next step. By adding insulation around the outside of your water heater, you are keeping the heat inside the water heater and therefore reducing the need for the heater to turn on and heat, using fuel to do so.
For more information about this part of Start small for big savings, please refer to my definitive guide to energy efficient homes at
Money saving tips to make sure your home is energy & cost efficient ….
Home Energy Articles Series
Part 1 – Determining current costs.
Part 2 – Cost over savings analysis.
Part 3 – Getting started finding your biggest needs.
Part 4 – Start small for big savings.
Part 5 – Your window savings.
Home Energy Cost Analysis
=====================
The world is in a fuel crisis today and the cost of energy continues to rise. It’s no wonder we see more and more start-up companies out there pushing products that are everything but a way to save money. Will most of these products work as promised, probably not.
The main thing to consider before you purchase them is whether they are cost effective or if they are something that will be a waste of your hard earned money.
We intend to give you some really good tips about purchasing any item that may be presented to you as a way to save energy on your home’s fuel usage. Take some time to really think about what you are investing in before you do so. This alone can save you money.
The main goal here is to find effective methods to lower the number of units that you spend on your fuel each month. To get you started, here are some of the questions you should be asking yourself in an effort to engage yourself in smart investment strategies for energy savings.
Some Tips For Analyzing Benefits
• What are the promised benefits of this product? Any product that promises outlandish claims is probably not legit. If they were, we probably would have them in use already.
• How much will this product cost me in the long run? How much will it cost you to purchase, install and maintain the item?
• Will I see some savings in my usage right away? You should be able to see immediately decrease in amount of units being used in order to save money on your energy needs.
• Finally, how long will it take you to make up the difference in the cost of the product over the amount of money you have invested in it? If you can not get your costs back in a reasonable amount of time, then the savings may not worth the effort.
By taking all of these factors into consideration, you will find yourself better able to understand the true benefit of any supposed energy savings gadget that is out there.
For more information about this part of Cost over savings analysis, please refer to my definitive guide to energy efficient homes at:
Houseofmax's Green=Energy Blog 
Recent Comments