Home Energy-Saving Tips

Welcome to another tip of the week. Today I'd like to talk to you about some very simple energy saving tips that every home owner can do.

One of the biggest ways that we lose heat and our energy efficiency is something that we never would suspect, and that is through our outlets. Yes our outlets. If you think about it, when you take off the cover plate there is nothing behind it but wires, in a sense it's an empty cavity where heat just goes right through and out. I know it's going to sound very tedious but here is a great way to prevent that and seal it to prevent air loss.

At your local home center like Home Depot or Lowe's, they carry a "foam"plate insert. It basically looks like an outlet cover plate but it's a gray foam. So what you do is, is you take the cover plate off, and then take the foam plate and cover your outlet, making sure that you remove the 2 cut outs for the outlet's themselves. Once you place the foam plate over the outlet simply just screw the plastic cover plate back on and there ya go. If your not comfortable with placing the foam plate right on top of the outlet, simply place it on the back side of the cover plate and then screw the cover plate back on.

I know it sounds very tedious to do considering all the outlets that you have in the home but the inserts are inexpensive but it can also save some money on your energy bills. Keeping the heat and air in the home is the main objective.

The second one is the easiest one. One day you should take a tour of your home and locate any voids, holes, cracks or where you see place where air can escape, especially around the foundation of your home in the basement. On numerous occasions I have looked at my own home, and I have seen these things and the best thing to do is fill the voids with foam.

 The product is called "Great Foam" this red can is a blessing and a great product to use. All you do is simply screw on the plastic straw, shake up the can and insert the straw into the voids and cracks and pull the trigger and fill the void up. NOW BE CAREFUL, the foam is an expanding foam, which means that it will expand and foam out to fill the void. Remember don't go all foam crazy all you need to do is fill the void until you see the foam expanding and then you know you've put enough in.

Once you have filled all the voids you want, just wait a while for the foam to completely expand and do it job. Once the proper time has passed just go back and take a utility knife and scrape off the excess. And there ya go, your all done!

 When you go to the home center and look at the "Great Foam" products you will notice that there are many types to do different things, just make sure you read the label carefully and make sure that you purchase the right one. They also make one for exterior use, and the same rules apply.

 Another good tip to do that will save the life of your hot water heater (tank) is that every few months is to drain out a few gallons of water from it. It's very simple and can prolong the life of your tank. Simply attach a regular garden hose to the spigot that's located at the bottom of your tank, and then take the hose and either take it outside the home like into the back yard or if you have a utility sink that the washer drains into, but I recommend taking the hose outside.

Once you attach the hose and the other end is outside, and have someone at the other end of the hose to let you know when they see water, simply just open the spigot and let a few gallons of water drain out. What this does is that it will wash away any sediment that rests on the bottom of your tank. Over time rust and deposits will settle on the bottom so doing this will relieve the tank of that and prolong the life of your tank.

Well there ya have it folks, 3 very very simple energy saving tips that any home owner can do!

And if you have any questions about your home, condo or apartment drop me a line I'd love to hear from ya, and help any way I can.

Thanks very much for tuning in this week, and remember to tune in next week for some more great tips.

Have a great week everyone!