When you received an energy (heating) bill last winter, were you afraid to open it? Granted that we have a home with a lot of really big windows, but we saw energy bills last winter in the hundreds of dollars. Your bill probably wasn't that bad but I'm guessing that it was a lot higher than you would have liked.
The good news is that there are some inexpensive things you can do to cut that cost. Here are 10 of them.
1. If you have a fireplace, be sure to keep the damper closed. You can lose up to 5 percent of your heat if your damper is open when the fireplace is not in use.
2. Keep your furnace filter clean. Replace it at least once a month during heating season. This alone can cut your heating costs by as much as 5 percent.
3. Be sure to keep inside doors open to improve heat circulation. This will help the efficiency of your heating system.
4. Lower the setting on your thermostat. If you can reduce your daytime indoor thermostat temperature from 72 to 68 degrees, you should save about 5 per- cent during the heating season.
5. If your hot water pipes and water heater are warm to the touch, insulate them. This will reduce heat loss and water heating costs.
6. Every minute you cut from your shower saves three gallons of water and the energy required to heat it.
7. Install compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Over the life of just one of these bulbs, you'll save about $15. Use just a handful of these around your home and you could notice a difference in your energy bill.
8. Motion detectors put light where you want it, when you want it, for brief periods of time. They provide safety and security for you and your property, but require much less energy since they are on only when you need them.
9.Be sure to check for cold air leaks at doors and windows. If you have a question as to whether or not they are leaking cold air, light a match and hold it at the bottom of the window or door. You should be able to see very quickly if there is a draft.
10. Apply weather stripping around any doors that are leaking air, and caulk around all your windows. Weather stripping can be purchased from just about any hardware store, as well as stores like Home Deport and Lowe's.
For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com.
Personal Finance: Booking Bamboozle Washington Post If you are making travel arrangements online, be sure to keep an eye out for a questionable but growing trend on booking Web sites: 'pre-checked' boxes that ...
PersonalFinance: Your guide to Coverdells FOXBusiness (Linda Stern is a freelance writer. Any opinions in the column are hers. You can follow Linda Stern's financial notes on Twitter at ...
The week's 10 best Personal Finance stories MarketWatch By MarketWatch With no federal tax credit to entice buyers, today's home sellers have to get even more serious about making a deal. ...
Pet insurance is no laughing matter Telegraph.co.uk Having made four claims in four years, The Telegraph's Personal Finance Editor decides the time has come to write about pet insurance. ...
Google News
RELATED ARTICLESUnderstanding and Controlling Your Finances
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to have complete control over your finances?If you are like most normal people, you have a job. You go to your job every day.
Im Broke, How Can I Afford...
I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don't have any money to put into their business and that they're broke.I mean what have you been doing with your money man?!?Plain Truth: If you don't have any money you won't make it my friend? it's that simple.
How To Survive The Grocery Shopping Blues
If you are the normal consumer, then you've probably experienced the Grocery Shopping Blues. Most supermarkets use this trick to their advantage to squeeze more money out of their customers and turn a tidy little profit for themselves.
Whats The Truth Behind Your Finances?
Between 15 - 20% of people in our country (UK) own there own businesses. This statistic is on the rise thanks to the incredible invention of the Internet.
Photo Checks - A Great Alternative in Checking
It's the little things in life that make it interesting. Everyday life can be so boring at times.
Kundalini Lessons - Money
I've been going through and interesting growth period lately that I thought I'd share, as some of the lessons were pretty profound (at least for me).I've written before about my awakening and the joys and tribulations since, and I've also mentioned that it's an ongoing process which, as far as I can tell, doesn't really end til you shuffle off this mortal coil.
The World is Not Enough - Calling for a More Ethical Approach to Personal Finance
At a time when the entire world's attention is focused on the problems of world debt, with the Live 8 concerts, the G8 summit in Scotland, the Make Poverty History Campaign (MPH) and the various anti-poverty marches, it seems that everyone wants the world's governments to behave more ethically towards the manner in which international finance is conducted. This is obviously a laudable attitude to take, and has gained immense momentum with such a groundswell of public opinion that even the UK Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has stated he is planning to participate in the Make Poverty History demonstration in Edinburgh during the G8 summit.
Dramatically Improve Your Stock Trading Success
Get Access to Realistic profitable strategies & discover the mindset to dramatically improve trading success.* Avoid those confusing "cookie cutter" technical analysis tips and tricks that you can read anywhere else for free.
University: A Course in Personal Finance
Recent findings from the Educational Policy Institute indicated that the UK is the third most expensive place in the world to go to university. Combine this with figures from the Prudential, showing that a third of university students have considered abandoning their studies due to the financial strain they have encountered, and it is not surprising that many prospective students are finding the need to seriously think through the merits of going to University.
Budgeting: A Tough Love Way to Handle Your Household Budget
Developing and living by a household budget is by far the best way to get your expenses under control which, in turn, can mean a much less stressful life.However, many families find it very difficult to stick to a budget.
Save Money Off Your Home Utility Bills
Many don't realize that our basic utility bills provide the perfect money saving opportunity for practically every household!Especially with today's energy crisis so prevalent throughout many of the states, you've probably heard this term - conservation.Guess what, conservation really means "using less".
I Want to Buy a Home - Now What?
If you were to ask 100 women "What would you like to achieve financially?" Buying a home or apartment is usually one of the answers. Some women think that they can never own a home - which is not true! In fact, there are so many success stories of home buyers who never thought they would get there.
How To Get Ahead On A Low Income
Do you struggle from week to week trying to make ends meet? Are you consistently going without things that you really wish you could afford? Well I have some possible and practical solutions to your dilemma:1. TIPS TO HELP YOUR BUDGET STRETCH FURTHER.
Budgeting Made Easy
Well, dang! From what I've heard and read, it looks like we've reached an all-time world-class new record in the amount of personal debt on the books. Now it's probably not quite as bad as we've been led to believe, however many of us have managed to tromp further than we should have into the financial swamp.
Save Money on Groceries: Part I
One universal of humanity, no matter who you are or where you come from, you have to eat. Unless you grow your own food, you will have to go to the grocery store to get it.
Personal Loans For Homeowners - One Of The Numerous Rewards For Being A Homeowner
You no longer look at the pictures of homes cause you yourself bought one. Well, you know how you got that, it was a huge investment.
Organizing Your Finances - Thinking Outside the (Shoe) Box
If you're like most people, your personal financial records are most probably kept in less than "Good Accounting Practices" standards. For example, stashing old ATM receipts and hanging on to a stub showing what you paid for a pack of mints two years ago (cash, of course), might be filed with your paycheck stubs, credit card statements - paid and unpaid alike - as well as a few tax forms, a stray paper clip and a penny.
Basic Bank Accounts Failing the Basic Needs of Consumers
The lists of bank and savings accounts that are available to most people are bewildering. A quick look at a comparison site like Moneynet or Moneyfacts will reveal thousands of different products.
When do You Need a Financial Management Company on Your Side?
We live in a crazy world. Someone ought to sell tickets.
Bankruptcy Chapters Explained
Chapter 7The potential chapter 7 debtor should understand that a straight bankruptcy case does not involve the filing of a plan of repayment as in chapter 13, but rather envisions the bankruptcy trustee's gathering and sale of the debtor's nonexempt assets, from which holders of claims (creditors) will receive distributions in accordance with the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. Part of the debtor's property may be subject to liens and mortgages that pledge the property to other creditors.
