Top Money Saving Tips for Homeowners
Taking care of a home can be a big job. Homeowners in the US can save money on their housing through various means like energy costs, mortgage refinance, and other options. Some of the ways you can save money don’t have to cost you very much but can make big, long-term differences for you. Looking for more ways to save money can help you loosen your budget and keep your home looking great.
Automatic Thermostat
You want your home to be comfortable no matter what the temperature outside, but this can be costly if you aren’t careful. One of the ways homeowners try to cut down on high energy costs is by manually adjusting the temperature when you leave the home and when you come home.
There are several problems with this like the amount of time and energy you have to spend remembering to adjust the thermostat during your busiest times of the day. It can also be problematic if you forget to adjust it. On one hand you may not be comfortable if you forget to adjust it when you come home, but more likely you will be heating or cooling your house unnecessarily if you forget to adjust it before you leave.
You can solve these problems by installing an automatic thermostat. This way you can pre-program the temperature of your home to adjust automatically. Your home will always be comfortable, your schedule will have one less thing to juggle, and your energy costs will go down.
Air Conditioning
You may also want to take a look at your air conditioner. If there are shrubs or other restrictions surrounding your air conditioning unit, then it is going to have a hard time performing well. Trimming back or even removing these obstacles will help your AC unit cool your house more effectively. There should be at least a foot of clearance around your unit for all living shrubs, and it should also be free of any leaves or debris on the ground.
This also applies to air filters in your HVAC units. These should be replaced every 6 months, but it would be even better to replace them every 3 months. If they are clogged or dirty, the air will not flow freely through the machine. This can cause your system to burn out and need replaced, but before that happens, it will also increase your energy costs as it struggles to keep up with demands.
Window Treatments
One of the biggest sources of loss of heating or cooling within your home is through your windows. The sun beating in can heat up your house in the summer, and bare windows will let out a lot of heat in the winter.
You can stem this loss of energy by giving your windows proper window treatments. You may want to consider installing energy-efficient windows or double paned windows to help you with that. If you don’t want to get new windows, you can help the ones you have by getting blinds or curtains designed to keep the energy you are paying for inside your home.
Refinancing
You may also want to look into refinancing your mortgage. The housing market changes, as does your credit score over time. Because your mortgage is for such a long period of time, it makes sense to refinance when the situation is different. Refinancing can help you save money in the long-run by reducing the amount of interest you have to pay. This can also lower your monthly payments which can help your finances in the short-term as well.
Outlets
One source of loss of energy you may not realize in your home are our outlets. Outlets built into exterior walls can act as little vacuums to take the air from inside to the outside of your home. This is especially true of older homes. While this may not seem like a huge problem, it can really influence the amount of money you spend on utilities.
Most outlet boxes don’t have insulation behind them, so there is a gap in your home. You can check for this by putting a match or candle in front of an outlet on a windy day. You will notice the flame flicker if you have a problem. The easiest solution for this problem is to simply put socket sealers for child-proofing a home in these outlets. This stops the air from escaping at very minimal cost to you.