Come winter it’s easy to want to pinch some pennies to get your energy bills down.

However, sometimes you need to spend a little (money or time) to save!  Here are our tips for keeping your house in good shape while hopefully, saving some cash in the process.

Preventative Maintenance

You might need a professional! These tips can save big money by preventing major issues down the road.

• Have your chimney inspected and swept before using.
• Have your HVAC serviced before it gets too cold.
• Hire someone to drain your irrigation system so it does not freeze
• Test your sump pump to make sure it is working in case of heavy snow or storms
• Clean your gutters at the end of the Fall season

Adjust Systems and Settings to Save

• Turn off exterior hose bibs to prevent freezing and bursting pipes
• If you have any exterior caulking that is gaping, go ahead and re-caulk.
• Keep the flue damper closed when the fireplace is not in use. Make sure there are no breaks in the seal to keep out the cold.
• Turn HWH down to 120 degrees if you don’t need super hot showers.
• Replace your HVAC filter monthly – you should do this all year long!
• Reverse your ceiling fans so they run clockwise.

Upgrades and Purchases

• Purchase a Nest Thermostat or another “smart” thermostat that learns when you are home and adjusts temperatures automatically. Or, manually adjust 10-15 degrees overnight or when you leave your house.
• Use LED holiday lights instead of traditional lights. Turn them on when you get home from work and off when you go to sleep instead of having them on all day.
• Adding insulation in the attic can be another great way to save so heat doesn’t escape.
• If you have a garage, make sure your garage door has a door sweep on the bottom to keep out cold air. This is generally done on all exterior doors but is often overlooked in the garage.

Tips & Tricks

• If there are unused rooms in your home, close off the vents in those rooms and keep the doors closed.
• When showering, open the bathroom door instead of using the exhaust fan. The exhaust fan sucks up the heat while leaving the door open will send the heat from the shower into the house.
• If you have south-facing windows, leave the curtains and blinds open to let in heat. Otherwise, keep them closed to keep insulated, especially at night.
• Check out these links if are looking for some energy tips that are great throughout the year, or in the warmer weather months.

Of course, remember to keep everything in perspective. While having blinds and curtains closed might save a few dollars, it may be worth it to you to up the heat and keep curtains open to have a more welcoming home. Here’s to a warm winter!

As always, please contact us if there is anything we can do to help with your real estate or community needs.   We are always happy to help!