21 Money Saving Tips for Las Vegas Home Owners (Part I)
Let me ask you this question: What if I told you that there are some ways you could save money as a
homeowner, would you want to know about them? Well, if your answer to this question is " yes" then I will
like to share with you 21 money saving tips for homeowners like you to add money into your pocket.
Here in the Las Vegas and Henderson area, the heat gets so intense that homeowners like you must find ways to save money to balance out the high energy bills that come with the scorching hot Summers here.
You can start doing these on the weekend or over a month, either way, you will start saving some money
once you start.
1. Take a Look at Your Attic Insulation
You might remember that when you purchased your home, you had a home inspection report. Your home
inspect was likely to go up the crawl spaces to check your attic. If the home inspector noted anything such as
your attic insulation being disrupted, or there isn't enough attic insulation in certain areas of your house, then
you might want to go back and add that insulation now.
If you didn't have that in your home inspection report, simply go up there and with a flashlight, investigate to
see if there are any areas with more insulation than others. Should you find any area with some missing
insulation, then it's time you add some insulation to your attic.
By doing this, your temperature will be regulated in your house a lot better. However, you want to go to the
Department of Energy's website, to check how much insulation should be in your house depending on where
you live.
2. Automate Your Thermostat
By automating your thermostat, you can keep your home at the temperature you want while you're there, and
also let it go up to about 8 to 10 degrees when you're not around.
So, you want to go outside and do this right away. If you do not have an automated thermostat, your local
electric company may have some available. Also, there are a lot of great programs out there, such as a Nest
program.
Getting a Nest program can be wonderful, however, pricey upfront. But sometimes your local electric
company might have discounts. You can also check with the nest program itself to see if there are any
rebates if you buy one of those.
By automating your thermostat, you're going to save yourself some money at the end of the year on your
bill. You will be saving about $173 every year off your electric bill thus if you're using something like a
Nest program.
3. Cool Down Your Water Heater
I know you like your steamy hot shower or maybe you like to play with your bath toys. But here is the thing
with water heaters. The optimal temperature setting on it is 55 degree Celsius or 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If
your water heater is set anything higher than the optimal temperature, it will take a lot of energy to keep the
water hot.
Take a moment and think about all the times when you do not use hot water. Your water heater is still
circulating water and keeping it hot. The hotter the temperature you set your heater to, the more energy the
heater will consume.
To avoid this, you simply go out to your garage or wherever the water heater is and take a look at it. If you
see that the temperature is set to anything higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, go ahead and knock down the
temperature a bit, and trust me, you won't even notice it the next time you take a shower.
Also, if your shower is above 120 degrees, it can scold your skin, and hurt young kids as well. So, this tip
doesn't only save your money but it also keeps you safe.
4. Give Your AC Unit Some Clearance
Our AC becomes crucial when it's hot. Enable your AC to work efficiently by providing clearance around
your AC unit of a minimum of 1 foot. No debris, no shrub, and nothing touching that AC unit.
Trim away all the shrubs and turn away all the branches away from the AC, and keep it nice and clean. Also,
do not lean any ping pong table or a trash can next to your AC unit. You want to keep the unit free and
unobstructed to let it breathe so that it is more efficient.
Doing this simple little thing can save you an average of about $20 annually.
Also be sure to have a professional air duct cleaning every 3-5 years, depending on how many family members and pets you have. Dryer vent cleaning is also an important way to save money, which you'll learn about in another section.
5. Install Ceiling Fans in Most of Your Rooms
Have ever thought about how your HVAC system gets your home to your desired climate and temperature?
Well, this is accomplished by the HVAC system pushing either cold or warm air through the air vents and
circulating the air throughout the house.
So, the more that the HVAC system has to push the air throughout the house, the more work the unit has to
do. Well, an easy way to get the air circulated throughout your house to reduce the workload of your HVAC
system is to install ceiling fans in most of your rooms.
Leave the fans on a low setting, and this will help circulate more air around your house. Also, it will keep
your HVAC system from coming on as much, and as we all know it costs a lot to have your HVAC system
running. So, installing a ceiling fan will save you some money.
6. Reduce the Exposure of Your House From the Sun
We love the sun and we want to be outside and enjoy. However, you want to hide the sun from the inside of
your home during the day. This is because the sun goes through the window, and heats your house. When
the sun heats your house, it makes your AC unit work harder, which increases our electric bill.
To prevent the sun from heating the house, you want to close up your blinds, or your drapes, and also close
your shutters- if you have shutters inside your house. Close those up during the day, and make sure that your
house is kept nice and dark out, as much as possible. However, ensure that there is an amount of light that is
comfortable to you at the same time.
Another way to prevent the sun from heating your home especially for those in the desert climate- you want
to put some solar screen on the outside of your window. If you combine the solar shades with energy efficient windows, together with having drapes, or blinds, trust me, it will make a huge difference in your electric bill. And you can save up to $15 or more annually.
7. Insulate Your Exposed Pipes
If you find yourself in a cold state such as Vermont, you probably are already accustomed to making sure
that your water pipes are protected and insulated before the winter freeze occurs.
It doesn't always occur to most people in the warmer states to adopt this practice too. However, insulating
your exposed pipe is beneficial no matter where you live in the country. This is because the water flowing
through the pipe is more very hot and as said earlier our water heater produces water that is about 120
degrees Fahrenheit.
So, when you consider all the hot water flowing through the pipe at a 100-degrees Fahrenheit, how
frequently do you have 120-degree weather where you live? Give that a thought for a moment. So, by simply
insulating your water pipes, you can help keep the hot water where it belongs, which is flowing to your
faucet, shower or flowing to your tab. So, you can save some cash by simply wrapping your pipes.
Money Saving Tips for Homeowners (Part II)