#2 Low cost energy saver ideas

There are some huge things you can do to help make your home more efficient.  I wont mention these.  If you had the money to install solar panels and windmills you would probably not be on this blog.  So I will try to help will some ways you can still make your home more efficient with only spending a little money.

1.     Weather stripping.  Check around your doors for cold air coming in.  New weather stripping could eliminate the problem.

2.     Calking around windows.  Check the calking around all your windows, if it's cracked or crumbling, you should replace it.  Make sure your windows are closed all the way and latched, this will ensure a nice tight seal.

3.     If you have a pet door, you will loose a lot of heat through there. Do what you gotta do here.

4.     If you have a swamp cooler, cover it well with an insulated cover and also cover the venting part that opens into your house, you can loose a lot of warm air through these.

5.     Attic doors.  Make sure they are shut all the way.

6.     If you have any holes in your outer walls, seal them up with some spray insulation.

7.     Check your attic for insulation  make sure you have a few inches at least.  This is a big one.  If your house doesn't have proper insulation it will be very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer.

8.     Check your foundation for cracks or holes, these can be filled with a spray foam insulation.

9.     Put outlet insulators in all your outlets that are on an outside wall.  You'd be surprised how much cold air comes in through there.

10.   You can get  thermal drapes for your windows.  You can also get thermal blinds.  This will help especially if you have older or single pain windows in your house.

11.   Make sure your vents aren't blocked by something.  My fat cat likes to lay right on top of one, and that area of the room will be significantly cooler.

12.  Direction covers for the vents to push the warm air out into the room better.

13.  If you have unfinished rooms, finish them.  Put rugs on your cement floors in the basement, cement floors just radiate cold air.

14.  Paint a warm color, white is just so cold.