Time to Dust Off a Few Energy Saving Ideas

Have you ever considered how much the dust that's gathering in your home is costing you in energy bills?

When dust builds up on the registers and vent covers in your home, for example, it becomes "insulation" that blocks the air's path into the room. The harder a system has to work to keep your home comfortable, the more you pay in utility costs.

So as you look ahead, a thorough dusting with special attention to registers and vent covers is a good idea. Other ideas?

• Close drapes to keep out the hot daytime sun, especially on south- and west-facing windows. Sunny windows make air conditioners work 2 to 3 times harder.
• Close fireplace dampers or glass doors. Going up the chimney with a bound may serve as a dramatic exit for Santa, but don't allow your cooled air to use that same escape hatch.
• Position your refrigerator away from sunny windows, hot water heaters, warm air from heating ducts, radiators, stoves and other heat sources. The heat makes cooling harder for your refrigerator.

These are just a few natural, free ways to help reduce your energy costs and increase your comfort. Other small steps can also make a big difference. For example:

It's no news that energy costs are a big expense for homeowners. And not surprisingly, heating and cooling account for more than half of this amount. If you'd like to learn more about conserving energy in your home, this info will get you started – Is Your Home at the Center of an Energy-Loss Vortex?

Trust, But Verify

Do you ever feel like you’re scaring people? Let’s say when you visit a home, you sense that the family that invited you would like you to go through a security clearance before entering. Well, that could make the social gathering a little awkward. And yet, I’m sympathetic because I know a little about what that’s like – from both sides.

In this business, contractors sometimes get painted with a broad brush. A couple of fly-by-night operations swoop in, make promises, cash checks and leave town with work undone – and others who really do want to help feel the cloud of suspicion. It happens. So let me share a helpful piece of advice: “Trust, but verify.”

That’s a phrase Ronald Reagan made famous when he was talking about the old Soviet Union. Basically, it means to proceed confidently but with the backing of verification. Calling about home comfort services may not be on the same level as the signing of treaties with communist countries, but please feel free to verify our promises. And you can look for that type of verification in our guarantees, long work history in this community, testimonials of satisfied customers… and in many other ways.

So let us hear from you when you need us!

A Little Bit Here and a Little Bit There Makes a Difference

Save a little money here, save a little money there, and pretty soon it adds up, right? Well, one of the areas where we most like to see our customers save money is in your energy use.

When the days are very hot, your air conditioning can account for up to 70% of your utility bill. So it makes sense that whatever you can do to improve energy efficiency at home can help you keep more money in your own pocketbook (and send less to your utilities).

But the important point to make here is that you don’t have to take big steps to save energy. You can take small steps over time or make a few small changes in your habits. And you’ll find a lot of ideas for doing just that at the link below.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can keep more energy dollars for yourself while enjoying more comfort at home, we’ve got a free report with 10 good tips on how to “Save Energy. Stay Comfortably Cool.”