Bright Ideas for Fall

As summer winds down and school year activities get underway, you may find yourself short on time and short on cash.  With the weather changes, we busy ourselves with tuning up our cars, re-investing in the seasonal coats and cold weather wear and surveying our winter toys.  We spend a lot of time preparing for the inevitable wind, rain and snow that frequently visits our plateau homes, but we may be missing some key elements in keeping our homes maintained for the fall and winter months.

We may not want to think about what’s ahead, but with cooler temps and darker days in our future, now is the best time to get your home ready for the weather changes by investing in energy saving products that will save you money down the road and offer more efficiency in light and heating through the winter months when we are naturally spending more time in our homes.

Many energy departments offer rebates, discounts and freebies to help offset the cost of energy saving investments.  And now is a great time to be thinking about home improvements.  Tacoma Power, servicing much of the unincorporated Pierce County, and Puget Sound Energy host a plethora of events and ideas to be more energy efficient.

Information on compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) may prove to debunk the myths and misconceptions you might have about the original swirly bulbs as the CFL product has since been improved from its original conception.  The use of a single CFL bulb can save as much as $30 in electric cost over its life which often spans 10 years.  Believe it.

Some of the offers from Tacoma Power include rebates on washing machines, heat pumps, energy efficient windows and other major home installation investments.  They pay $30 for to pick up and recycle your old fridge or freezer and also pay up to $3,400 on work done to insulate your walls, floors and more.  There are programs offered for zero-interest loans as well as for low income qualifiers.  Everyone can save.  Check out the events page on the Tacoma Power website for CFL giveaways, and other educational events throughout the area in the upcoming weeks.

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers can get in on the savings with over a dozen rebate offers on everything from heat pumps to showerheads and appliances to windows.  Free showerheads and fridge removal is also offered by PSE.  Education on CFL’s and other energy efficient changes can also be found on their website.