There are 10 main things which you should check right now to abridge household expenses. Start doing this and you’ll begin to improve your material well-being. It can be so simple to fire away, maybe sooner than you take some photos.
For more useful tips on money saving please see these videos. We even recommend to save them for later use:
Use modern light bulbs
These bulbs may help you to spend less money as they have longer service life and this fact proves they are good to use at home. Think about installing such lamps in different places, as well where you will use electricity for longer periods. For example, in the sitting-room or in the kitchen, or somewhere like basement and backdoor when one can leave the light switched on accidentally. CFL lamps are thought to be cheaper, but people usually prefer LED ones because of their longer way of use and lower cost.
Learn how to use a good thermostat
Smart heating system at home lets you plan automatic regulation of temperature which helps you to save money on heating and cooling.
This device isn’t difficult to install and easy to use. You can just set your thermostat to lower the temperature by few degrees at night and during the day when you are not at home, and program it to return to the preset comfort temperature when you are home again. You will not get sight of the changes for sure until you get your bill for household services.
Check your fridge’s temperature dial
You should make sure somebody hasn’t turned the fridge off occasionally. Or may be children might have played with it and damaged the refrigerator. One more thing you should consider — food containers, they must not block fridge and freezer’ vents, which provide a flow of cooled air. Technical specialists’ reports show that about 30 percent of calls for service only need a switch click or to push a power button. All these simple actions may cost you a flat service charge (usually up to $100) and a bit of awkwardness.
Find a low-flow shower head.
Shower heads are considered to be the second largest users of water and often they are the main energy consumers, because about 70 percent of used water at home is heated. If one can manage to reduce consumption of hot water its low-flow device will pay for itself very soon.
Many modern water-saving shower heads are used with new technologies to create a powerful flowing sensation. That’s why you won’t need to settle for low water pressure in the bath or in the shower.
Protect your doors from drafts
When you see the daylight under your front door or even when you feel a breeze be attentive. Good news for your economy is that almost all doorsteps can be easily regulated up and down. Make sure that all of your doorsteps are adjusted and all the doors can be easily opened and closed.
See a Mold? It may be a leak!
If you notice mold fungus around the water or sewer pipes, or plumbing it is possible that the reason for fungus is a leak. Drain the water from the system and then check the pipes for the presence of damp places. In case when you see the fungus at the top of the walls or even on the ceiling — your roof can be leaking. Keep in mind that water can move everywhere — to the sides, down and up, in case the walls are gyroscopic. That’s why you should be attentive, the roof leak can be somewhere around the mold.
Don’t turn a puddle into a lake.
Sometimes water heaters can be really dangerous. It may happen when they leak through safety valves. You should remember that they can be easily replaced. But if it runs from the tank beware. One should know that the tank is covered with a thin layer of glass that can become fragile over time. In case the glass gets cracked the steel can rust and a puddle may occur. If you don’t fix it the damaged tank can accidentally burst and make a great flood. It may take months or even days to happen but it will. Don’t be carefree, just change that powder keg now.
Wrap your plumbing with a good insulation.
Uninsulated hot water pipes can lose heat in some way because they carry over the hot water from the heater to your bath. When you wrap them in a special insulation you might have saved about 2-4-degree difference even if your water pipes are situated in cold garage or in the basement.
Remember, first you should check your pipes. Also, you have to use high-quality insulation, but it’s quite easy — there is a manual.
Choose effective appliances, even if you’ll need to pay more than you wanted.
If you haven’t managed to purchase a furnished house, probably you will have to do some shopping. To get good home appliances concentrate on their reliability and energy efficiency in spite of the high costs. For example, a fridge that uses less energy can work for more than 20 years. It is much more profitable than another one that costs cheaper and will serve much less time. In case you plan a purchase ahead you can get it using a bank card and also receive a big bonus if you sign-up. You will be able to pay for your purchase and have some cash however.
Your house needs shade trees. So plant them!
Nature herself helps us to save on our cooling costs in summer or on winter heating costs as well.
You should plant trees that can lose their leaves in autumn. The best place for them can be on the eastern and western sides of the house. Leafy trees’ shade can really cool your house in hot summer. It happens because of reducing the direct sunlight.
While in winter the trees will lose their leaves, sunlight will stream into your windows and warm up the house a little more. There’s one more thing you to know. If you manage to plant evergreens on the northwest and north sides of your house, they might have protected it from cold winds.
As an alternative, big beautiful trees may increase the value of your property. Just be careful to plant them in the safe area, because nobody wants to have a roof broken by a big beautiful tree. Do it now and you’ll see soon they grow and shade your house.
