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Tips From A Plus Home Repair Here is simple, cost-effective ideas in which can save you money. 1. Sealing cooling and heating ducts With duct
wrap or mastic sealant can save up to 25% on your energy bill. 2. Repair plumbing leaks. A single drippy faucet can waste 212 gallons of water a month. 3.
Insulate your hot water heater. Doing so can cut your home's C02 emissions and save you around 4% to 9%
in water heating costs. You also reduce standby heat costs by 15%-30%. To see
if you need to insulate, touch your heater. If it's warm to the touch, it needs additional insulation. 4. Replace showerheads with low-flow heads and replace faucets or just the aerators. Low-flow showerheads can save you between 10% to 16% of water heating costs
and reduce your water usage up to 20,000 gallons per year. 5.
Install low flow toilets. This will save
you 3.5 gallons per flush 6. Install ceiling fans. This will cut air conditioning costs in summer. Alternatively, in the winter, these ceiling fans work to circulate warm air from the ceiling back down to the floor to save heating cost. 7. Plug overlooked energy leaks around the house! Use caulks and foam strips around
windows and doorframes that leak air. Add door sweeps and new weather striping
to door jam. Did you know that your light switches and plug box’s could be an overlooked source of air leaks? Hold a wet hand in front of a light switch plate or outlet and if you feel air, you have a leak. Installing foam gaskets behind all the light switches and outlets can stop these energy leaks. 8. Insulate. For maximum energy efficiency, your home should be
properly insulated from the roof down to its foundations.
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9.
Install a hot water heater timer If you have an
electric water heater which
can turn hot water off at night and on again in the morning. 10.
Replace your light bulbs. Energy efficient
compact fluorescent bulbs last 8 to 12 times longer than incandescent. Just
one bulb alone can save at least $30 in electric
bills over its lifespan and reduce greenhouse emissions from power plants. Just 5 bulbs could save you 50% of your annual lighting
bill. 11. Replace old windows With new high performance dual pane windows with low-e coatings. Or self-adhesive reflective film on the windows. These films reduce air conditioning bills. In addition, reflective film can help block harmful UV rays. 12. Insulating your hot water pipes. Not only does this raise the temperature with
a lower water temperature setting, you also conserve water since you don't have to wait as long for
warm water whenever you turn
on a faucet or a shower!
Or install a hot water recirculating pump and get almost instant hot water every time
you take a shower. 13. Install outdoor solar lighting. It's easy to install and virtually maintenance free. Best of all, it provides free electricity. 14. Install shades, drapes, awnings or sunscreens to block light on hot sunny days and keep cooling costs down.15. Add lighting controls and timers. Motion detectors outside can increase
security and decrease energy expenditure. Timers can be set to turn lights off and on and predetermined
times. This is an energy saver. 16. Reuse and Recycle. How about donating
perfectly good cabinets, sinks and other appliances? Get a
tax write-off,
help someone else in need
and save room in the landfill a win win situation. Check your local listings
or go to www.habitat.org for a Habitat For Humanity Reuse Store in your area According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, households can save 20%-30% on energy bills by
implementing these Improvements.
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