How to Start Having Home Energy Savings

---

By: Ryan Narendra

Are your power bills climbing higher and higher? Do you want to find a way to lower those bills? If you do then you will need to know how to start having home energy savings. Through this article, we will tell you some things to examine to see if you can lower those power bills. Some are very simple things and some may take a professional to do. Let's see what we can discover to help you.

First, you will need to do an energy audit of your house. This is simply done to see where you need to improve the house's ability to use or retain the energy. A house that has energy escaping from it is not an energy-efficient house and will cost you more as far as your power bills go.

Now there are do-it-yourself audits that you can perform on your own. It just entails you walking through your house and examining it for any problem spots you may have. Write out a checklist as you examine the different parts of your home. This will help you organize what needs to be done to make your house more energy efficient. You are on your way to finding out how to have home energy savings by doing this.

Go through and find all the places in your house the leak air to the outside. Through these leaks, you lose a great deal of energy. Just by fixing leaks like these, you can save as much as 30% on your energy bill yearly. You can keep your house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter by locating and fixing leaks. Check the following areas of the house to see if they are leaking air from them:

• Baseboards
  
• Wall and ceiling edges may leak.
  
• Switch plates
  
• Electrical outlets
  
• Window frames
  
• Fireplace dampers
  
• Weather stripping on the door frames.
  
• Air conditioners whether they are mounted in the windows or through the walls.
  
• The hatch of the attic.
  
• There could be holes where wires and pipes come out of the wall.
  
• The foundation
  
• Mail slot if you have one.
  
• Doggy door
  
• Any caulking around doors or windows.
  

The doors and windows need to be inspected real close to make sure there is no leaking. These are the two main places where air escapes due to cracks in the caulking or worn out weather stripping. Be certain that the windows aren't working loose from the house; this can cause many leaks to happen. The door and window frames both should be thoroughly caulked.

If the doors and windows are too old and in too bad of conditions, it is might be wise to have them replaced if you can afford to. The newer windows and doors are design to be more energy efficient. If you can't afford to replace them, though, seal them securely and caulking them well around their frames. Get new weather stripping for the doors too. Some windows may require the weather stripping too. These are wonderful ways to have home energy saving These are just a few things to do in your energy audit. Many other more in-depth things can be done including calling in a professional to access your situation. This way, you will be enjoying home energy savings in no time.

Also, check out my other guide on home energy conservation and wind power energy

Copyright 2009 www-alternativeenergy.com
Alternative Energy Mutual Funds | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Sitemap

Related Articles:

Alternative Energy Mutual Funds
Energy Conservation Tips
Alternative Energy Solar
Wind Energy System
Home Solar Energy