{"id":175,"date":"2015-01-26T15:47:58","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T15:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/?p=175"},"modified":"2015-01-26T15:47:58","modified_gmt":"2015-01-26T15:47:58","slug":"8-energy-saving-tips-cut-gas-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/?p=175","title":{"rendered":"8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Gas Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Gas Bill<\/h1>\n
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By:\u00a0Patricia-Anne Tom<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Energy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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As temperatures fall, you\u2019ll seek a heat system in your home to keep you cozy and warm.<\/p>\n

Yet no one wants toasty temperatures indoors if it means your\u00a0utility costs<\/a>\u00a0will rise to unreasonable levels.<\/p>\n

Consider these eight energy saving tips below,\u00a0so you aren\u2019t sweating when your winter gas bills come, and as the weather warms, evaluate your winterizing measures to see which ones make sense to maintain through the spring and summer months.<\/p>\n

1. Program Your Thermostat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter. For each degree you raise your thermostat setting, your fuel bill climbs 3%.<\/p>\n

Consider slipping into a sweater before you crank up the temperature. Don\u2019t forget to program the thermostat to a lower temperature during the hours you are away from home, either.<\/p>\n

If your thermostat\u00a0allows you to program<\/a>\u00a0different temperature zones, turn the heat down or off in rooms that aren\u2019t being used.<\/p>\n

2. Maintain Filters and Heating System Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Regularly clean or replace the filters for your furnace and central heating system. Likewise, make sure to clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators\u2014ensuring that they are clean and not blocked by debris or trapped air.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not sure how to bleed trapped air from a hot-water heat radiator or flush the water heater,\u00a0call a professional<\/a>. They\u00a0also can perform a routine check of your central heating\/cooling duct system for leaks.<\/p>\n

A simple task like cleaning equipment and making sure it\u2019s not leaking or obstructed by furniture, carpet or drapes can improve your system\u2019s energy efficiency by 10% while extending the life of your equipment.<\/p>\n

3. Install Radiator Reflectors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you use radiators to heat your home, placing heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators will help prevent you from heating walls unnecessarily and can reduce heat loss.<\/p>\n

4. Add Insulation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wrapping insulation around pipes and your water heater can help minimize heat loss as water runs from the water heater to your faucets.<\/p>\n

By adding insulation, you won\u2019t have to wait as long for hot water, you will conserve water, and you can save up to 10% of your total energy costs.<\/p>\n

Just be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered on the water heater.<\/p>\n

5. Seal Openings<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s foolish to spend money heating your home if the warm\u00a0air can escape<\/a>. Caulk and weather-strip around exterior seams, cracks and openings. Pay extra attention around windows and at points where various exterior materials like wood, brick and vinyl siding meet.<\/p>\n

On the inside, caulking and weather-stripping around windows and door frames will cut down on drafts. A draft guard along the bottom of an exterior door also can help prevent heat from escaping.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not using\u00a0your chimney<\/a>, close the damper. Additionally, air sealing and properly insulating the attics, walls, floors over crawl spaces and accessible basement rim joists can save up to 10% of total energy costs.<\/p>\n

6. Replace Windows<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Consider\u00a0replacing old windows<\/a>\u00a0with high-efficiency Energy Star double-pane windows with protective coatings that reflect heat back into your home during winter. This can reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 15%.<\/p>\n

If such a retrofit is not in your budget, cover your windows with clear plastic film. At a typical cost of $4 to $6 per window, the film creates an insulating air pocket between the plastic and the window, reducing heat loss through windows by between 25% and 50%.<\/p>\n

7. Use Fans Wisely<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It may sound simple, but using fans judiciously can save energy, too. In just one hour, kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans can pull out a houseful of warm air.\u00a0So turn ventilation fans off as soon as they have done the job.<\/p>\n

Aim keep the humidity level between 30% and 60%. In rooms where you have a\u00a0ceiling fan<\/a>, reverse the direction so that they move in a clockwise direction and push hot air near the ceiling toward the floor.<\/p>\n

8. Adjust Drapes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it\u2019s cold outside, keep drapes and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow sunlight to enter your home, and then you can close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.<\/p>\n

This article is updated from a previous version on realtor.com\u00ae.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Gas Bill By:\u00a0Patricia-Anne Tom As temperatures fall, you\u2019ll seek a heat system in your home to keep you cozy and warm. Yet no one wants toasty temperatures indoors if it means your\u00a0utility costs\u00a0will rise to unreasonable levels. Consider these eight energy saving tips below,\u00a0so you aren\u2019t sweating when … Continue reading 8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Gas Bill<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,27,32,33,17,18],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-clarksville-tn-real-estate-for-sale","tag-coldwell-banker","tag-energy","tag-gas","tag-real-estate","tag-realtor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions\/176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clarksvilletnrealestateforsale.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}