It’s that time of year again-Daylight Savings Time has ended and the sun is setting earlier every day. Unfortunately for you, because of this you’ll definitely be using more energy each evening to light your home as well to as to keep warm in the colder weather. Before getting very worried regarding your energy bills, take a look at these five home projects under $1,000 each which can help reduce your energy bills this winter season.
Home Projects Under $1,000 Which will Save You Money On Bills in the Winter
1. Install an Electric Fireplace
Staying warm is frequently one of the first considerations people have in those long winter nights. And with it costing roughly $0.20 an hour to run a gas heating appliance, the expenses can add up fast. Installing an electric powered fireplace may help you stay warm while saving energy costs at the same time. First, an electric fireplace will heat the room you’re in, enabling you to turn off the heat to the rest of your house. Second, it costs only $0.07 to $0.14 an hour to run, and supplies some light to the room at the same time, saving you even more.
Cost to Install: The average cost to install a brand new electric fireplace is approximately $300.
Save Far more: Convert your current fireplace by installing a plug-in unit in order to save the most money up front.
2. Insulate Your Attic
The vast majority of homes today are under-insulated for the climate they may be in. Which means that a good portion of the energy you utilize to heat your home is going straight up through your roof each winter. Insulation does break down as time passes, and may also be disturbed by workmen or animals, so even if you did have enough insulation at some point, this might no longer be so. Insulating your attic will help keep your home more comfortable in the winter, enabling you to lower your energy bills while staying warm.
Cost to Install: The average cost to insulate an attic is approximately $400.
Save Even More:
Purchase the highest R-Value insulation you can get for your climate to save more on your energy bills each month
Install batt insulation yourself to save money on installation costs
3. Install a New Thermostat
Your thermostat plays a big role in the amount of energy you use throughout the winter months. After Daylight Savings Time ends and the nights start getting longer, you’re likely to turn up the heat a little earlier each evening. A brand new thermostat may help you get better control over your overall energy usage, not just in the evening, but throughout the day at the same time. Programmable thermostats allow you to shut off the heat when you aren’t home or are sleeping more easily so you use less energy. Newer models even allow you to control the thermostat while you’re away using your smartphone, so that you can save much more.
Cost to Install: The typical cost to install a new thermostat is approximately $200 to $250.
Save Much more: Purchase a thermostat that has a sensor, that will turn off when there is no one home so you can save even with an unpredictable schedule.
4. Clean Your Air Ducts
If you have forced hot air heating your house throughout the winter, you might be losing about 20% of the energy you’re paying for through dirty ductwork. If your ducts are dirty, your furnace will have to work much harder to push the same amount of air through. This not only ages your furnace faster, it raises your energy bills simultaneously. Having your ducts cleaned means that you’ll save money and improve your air quality all at once.
Cost to Clean: The typical cost to have air ducts cleaned is between $300 and $500.
Save Even More: When you’re getting your ducts cleaned, ensure you have them inspected as well. Leaky ducts may also be raising your energy bills by letting the hot air escape before it reaches its destination.
5. Install LED Light Fixtures
You’ll be using more electricity to light your house in the evenings once the clocks are turned back. So ensure that you’re not having to pay more than you ought to be by making the move to LED light fixtures. LED lights use considerably less energy than incandescent lights, and in addition they can provide you with a full-spectrum, natural daylight brightness at the same time, making up a little for the shorter days. LED recessed lights make the best choice for ambient and task lighting, and are also fairly easy to put in too.
Cost to Install: The typical cost of installing six new recessed lights is around $600.
Save Even More: Invest in LED lights which have a dimmer so you can adjust the amount of light that you get and the amount of electricity that you use.
Daylight Savings Time may have ended, however that doesn’t mean that you have to be left in the cold or dark to keep your energy bills down. Use these five home projects that can help lower your energy bills this winter season and stop worrying about the time on the clock. To find out more about what things cost, you’ll want to visit the website for your local electrical company.
We actually had our electric company come out and do an energy audit at our home here in Tampa. The nice thing is that they were not trying to sell us anything, they gave us suggestions on how we could lower our monthly electric bill and provided us with coupons to save money on the products. Our home was built in 1990 and the R-Value of our insulation was around R-14, they gave a coupon to use and we able to increase the insulation from R-14 to now be R-30 for $175.00.
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