12 Nov 08 Saving Energy Equals Saving Money

If you want to hear about the best deals in housing, you may want to subscribe to New Homes Section's Blog.
Stay Connected to New Homes for Sale and Builder Incentives!
Thanks for visiting!

Saving energy equals saving money and there are hundreds of ways to do your part. I will give you just a few ways that I have found to be easy, inexpensive and in return will save you money. By changing the light bulbs in your house to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) you can save about $45 in electricity cost per light bulb annually. The average home has roughly 15 active light bulbs and if homeowners were to change every light in their house to CFL bulbs, they would save about $675 in electricity costs during the life of these light bulbs. Shading can save up to 40% of cooling costs. Planting trees in strategic areas of your yard will not only increase the value of your home but will also save about $100 - $250 a year in energy costs.

Thinking of buying a new washing machine? If you replace a washing machine that is older than 1994, you will save up to $110 a year on your utility bill. When you buy an appliance, Energy Star approved, that item can save you up to 50% than on non-Energy Star approved appliances. Newer washers will not only save energy but will also conserve water as well. Other ways to conserve water is by changing your shower head. For an investment of $10 or less you can save $50 to $75 per year on water bills and $20 to $50 more per year on energy bills (depending on your current shower head and utility rates). Every new shower head should pay for itself within the first year.

New homes have been being built green to reduce their carbon footprint for some time now, but if you need help maximizing your energy efficiency you can call your local energy provider and they will often send an expert out to help you coordinate your energy saving efforts, usually for free. These experts will perform various tests such as a thermo graphic scan to find out if there are any air leaks into your home, a combustion safety test to determine how safely your heating system is working, a blower door test to find out how airtight your home is and so on. Pin pointing exactly where you are producing the most heat, leads your AC unit to run longer. They will also go through your past utility bills to check your energy consumption levels.