Archive for February, 2012
I am always looking for ways to cut down on my monthly electricity bill. A while back I switched out every incandescent light bulb in the house with the new CFL bulbs which are far more energy efficient. If you haven't done this yet I highly suggest you do. CFL bulbs are every where now and are very cost efficient compared to when they first showed up on the market. As we make the move to these new light bulbs they might not be the best choice as led lights are making a splash in the market place.
Led light bulbs have many energy saving advantages over other light bulb types. These energy saving feature all add up to saving you money on your monthly electricity bill. Lets look at some of the advantages of these new light bulbs.
Led lights last as much as ten times longer than CFL bulbs. This is a huge improvement over conventional incandescent light bulbs and will save you in replacement costs right off the start.
They are also much cooler that other lighting types. It think of the pot lights in my basement. We had a few couples over this past summer and with the lights on the room became really warm forcing me to crank up the air conditioning. Even my led tv is much cooler and doesn't contribute to heating up my rec room.
These new lights are also very durable. They have no filament like an incandescent bulb. We can all picture taking a new incandescent bulb out of the package and having it break easily with a little shake. Led lights won't need to be replaced as often as they hold up much better than conventional bulbs.
As they become more common place and advancements are made in technology led lights are becoming much more affordable and cost efficient. Over the next couple of years we should see big strives made in the field of led light bulbs and they will become much more common.
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What are your biggest expenses each month? Most people would agree that it is their heat and hydro and then maybe food, vehicles and loan debt. The one thing that is over looked is just how much we spend on our entertainment or home services such as tv, internet and home phone plans. I know my bill is a dandy each month when I add them all up. If you want to save some money then this is one area that you can definitely go out and do something about it.
Chances are right now you aren’t getting any kind of deal from your current provider. This is especially if you have been with them for any length of time. The fact is there are many top of line service providers that are offering all sorts of discounts and incentives just to get your business. You just have to know where to find these coupons and discounts.
I recently found www.couponcactus.com and what drew my interest is the selection of coupons being offered for companies such as AT&T. I was looking at the coupons they offer for AT&T Uverse. This is a service where your television, internet and phone are all connected through the internet.
They are giving away cash back incentives for joining their various plans. Depending what you are paying for your services now this really could end up to great saving for you every month. Wouldn’t it be great to wrap up all of your services under one plan and save money each month?
It doesn’t stop there because the coupon website also offers a cash back incentive just for using their website. You just have to join up to their website for free. It’s worth checking out if you want to have a look at your current plan and see if you can reduce your monthly charges.
I haven't had much time to blog as of late but I thought I would share a quick story about how I cut my heating and cooling costs down with a quick trip to the hardware store. A quick and inexpensive trip.
It was during a recent cold snap I was tying my shoes up by the back door when I felt a really cold breeze coming through the bottom of the door, near the corner. I recently replace my two outside doors and thought that the company that had installed them had caulked them well enough but I was mistaken. I found the source of the breeze and it was a spot in the corner where they had missed with the caulking.
Upon further investigation I also noticed that I could see sunlight coming through the door at a couple of the corners and I could feel a bit of a breeze coming through the seems around where the door hinges are. Off to the local hardware store I went and picked up a roll of weather stripping for the door and tube of caulking. All for under $20 and with about fifteen minutes of work there was no more breeze. No more cold air coming through the door and no more heating money going out the door. It is a double saving because this little bit of work will help with my air conditioning in the summer as well. I think sometimes we forget about sealing up the house for the cooling season.
A little note about weather stripping. There are all sorts of different types. I opted for the kind that has a peel and stick side on it so you just have to peel it and stick it. No messing around with staples. You can if you want but there is no need, this stuff hold pretty good.
Weather stripping also comes in different sizes. Getting the size right is important. If your stripping is bigger than your gap then you are going to cause more leakage than you originally have. If it is too small then you aren't helping your cause. It might be worth while to try and get a measurement of your gap.
I also notice that most caulking tubes don't have a cap on them. If you let it sit then the air will get into it and it will dry up. I take screw or nail and shove it in the end of the tube to stop it from drying out. Works pretty good when you go to use that tube four months later.
Here is a picture of the exact weather stripping I used for my doors.
