Keeping a household budget is difficult with surprise home disasters and fluctuating bills that throw a wrench into your best-laid plans every month. One such annoyance is the ever-changing energy bill. Every billing cycle it seems like you’ve used more energy than the one prior. This amount increases in the winter when heating your home is included. It can feel like you’re fighting an unwinnable battle. Luckily, your friends at Ned Stevens have your back. There are a few small tips you can do around your home to reduce your energy consumption.
Get the Correct Spin
It may sound counter-intuitive, but to keep your home warmer for a lower cost, use your ceiling fans. Each ceiling fan is equipped with a switch that changes the direction of the blade movement. In winter, reverse your ceiling fans to spin clockwise. This simple switch will continuously push hot air down instead of up and keep warm air in the living areas. If left in the summer counterclockwise setting, you are pushing warm air up into the ceiling which doesn’t do anyone any good. To make this energy saving hack work, you don’t need to put the ceiling fans on too high. The lowest setting should be enough to add an extra bit of warmth to each of your rooms. If you have tall ceilings, you can instantly see the benefits on your next bill.
Close Off Rooms for Winter
For those who live in a large home with many rooms, heating all your available living space is a strain on your wallet. If some of those rooms don’t get regular use, you’re wasting money keeping them heated. Get choosy this winter on which areas are essential. Gamerooms, guestrooms, and storage areas are unnecessary to heat. Getting each ready for the winter months is easy. Close off the vents in any room you don’t want to keep open. Add a door sock or any other type of door seal to make sure cold drafts are eliminated. This method is excellent because it can be easily reversed if you have an immediate need for these rooms.
Program Your Thermostat
How often do you change the temperature on your thermostat? If you only have a single setting for all of winter, then you are consuming way more energy than you need to. The secret to getting the most out of your heating system is by only heating at the proper moments. Those are mornings hours and post-work hours. The temperature can be taken lower while you are away at work and when you’re sleeping. Some homeowners have no issue remembering to adjust their thermostats, but for those more forgetful, you can purchase a programmable variety. These thermostats let you create an entire schedule for the season that will adjust without you lifting a finger. Some are even high-tech enough that you can do it all within an app! Whatever your budget, there is an option for you.
Stopping any home disasters before they grow into unwieldy and costly repairs is a great way to save money. One of these preemptive home maintenance tasks is clearing your rain gutters of debris. Your home’s rain gutters divert all water away from your home into designated areas. When gutters are clogged, water begins to pool in the wrong areas around your home’s base. If unchecked over time, this can create huge problems such as cracked foundations, pest infestations, or even mold.
Let the gutter cleaning professionals at Ned Stevens take this task off your list. With over 55 years of gutter cleaning experience, you can relax this winter knowing the job is done right.
Get 365 days of gutter coverage to keep your home healthy with our Ned Stevens Diamond Service Plan. Want to learn more? Call today for a quote and receive $50 off your first service plan.
