It's Cold Outside

We had our first snow of the season and I am officially going into hibernation. For me, the countdown till Spring has begun. Yesterday, I did my usual winterizing around my house. I know this is not fun or visually inspiring, but the money you save from this can turn into something visually inspiring.

These are the steps that I do every year to prevent the energy companies from getting richer. I clean and shut all the vents in the house. Yes, I need to get on a ladder.......AND, I work alone... 
Translation, my family has no interest in this and they think I am crazy for bothering to do it.

It really does make a difference. Just hold your hand up to one of the vents on a really cold day and see if you can feel a draft. 
Another area of heat loss is the A/C return. 

I have a special trick for this one. I wrote about it last year, so be sure to check it out.

Have you noticed that the price of LED bulbs have gone down? I need to pick up a few more for some areas of my home. They also help prevent ice dams and that is something I always think about this time of year.

Got any energy saving tips? Actually, I could use some snow removal tips...under 6" and my son insists on doing it.

More Energy Saving Ideas....

Yesterday, I told you about my upgrade to LED lights in my pantry area. I looked back over our energy bills to confirm that, although our dollar amount has remained consistent.....our energy usage has gone down over the years(obviously rate hikes make up the difference). So, as I traveled around my home, preparing for WINTER, I thought it might be useful to share my tips. This works for me, only you can decide it this will work for you!

First up, the A/C vents; our A/C has been turned off for a few months now (don't do this unless your system is shut off completely)....however, if I hold my hand near the vent.....on a COLD day....I can feel the cool air spilling into the room

Using a duster, I clean all the blades

Then, I shut the vents....some are levers

some require a flat-head screwdriver. I find it helpful to shine a flashlight into the vent to confirm that I am shutting it, and not opening it even wider

The next prep idea that I do, came to me when I saw this

A magnetic register cover....at about $25! I wanted to cover this

My A/C return in the ceiling....at the time, I contacted a magnetic sign maker....and because of it's size, the price was ridicules! I am also not sure that the magnet would have stuck with the force of gravity pulling on it.....so....I started using these

Yes, a shrink wrap for my ceiling A/C register returns. First, I dust them

Then, apply the two-sided tape

Once the tape is all the way around, I peel off the paper to reveal the sticky side

...add the film, you can re-adjust it once....and the shrinking will make up for any defects

This is the fun part, use a hairdryer to shrink the film for a tight fit

Here is the "after"

I cannot stress this enough YOUR UNIT MUST BE TURNED OFF!! Do not turn on you A/C until AFTER you have removed the shrink wrap!

The cost...this box of film was about $5. I have 2 returns, and can cover 3 returns from 1 sheet of plastic film. So, this box will cover 4.5 winterizing s....a little over 1 dollar.

What are your winterizing tricks?

Linking this to Serenity Now Weekend Bloggy!

Energy Savings Tips..

As many of you know, we lost our power for 6 days! The North-East was hit hard. The crew that restored our neighborhood was from Fresno, California. This had me wondering... who was paying for all that travel time, hotels, and meals for the crew? Our electric company....well....yes....BUT...now we have been informed that our rates will be going up to cover this massive expense!

Let the Energy Saving Tips Mission begin! First up.....lighting

I have been very curious about LED lights. I know they are expensive, however, they supposedly pay for themselves? When we did our home renovations, CFL's were the way to go. Since then, as information and technology changes...time to do a bit of research.

After watching this YouTube video

I was hooked. The only problem was the price $50 per canister bulb....UNTIL NOW

That's right....1/2 price! Thanks Home Depot! I realize that $25 is still a lot, however, it will pay for itself in less than 1 year and will last about 22 years!

I decided to start with my pantry area. There are only 3 cans, and my family refuses to turn these lights of...ever!

Here is one of my fixtures before

That's a CFL bulb made to look like a regular canister bulb. Notice all the space around the bulb.


Following the video instructions, here is the after

I happen to think it looks much cleaner and more modern. I also realized that there is no longer all that space around the bulb. This should also reduce additional heat loss! As for the light, it is bright, clean, white light... almost too bright!

****UPDATE*** Go Here for More Energy Saving Tips!****

Working room by room, I plan on updating my home over time. What are the ways you save energy?