There are bad habits – like not recycling or eating too many sweets – we should all avoid. To save money this winter, Repair Clinic has some good habits you should adopt as soon as possible. Your bank account will thank you.
Good Water Heater Habits
Did you know that heating water accounts for over 15% of the energy used in your house? Save money by turning down the temperature of your water heater to 120°F. If you set it much higher, you’ll lose money over the winter when the cold air outside makes it harder than ever to keep the water warm.
Good Laundry Habits
Since the majority of the energy your washing machine uses to do a load of laundry goes to heating the water, it pays to wash your clothes in cold water. If you use hot or warm water in a top-loading machine and electric water heater for a year, that’d equal using about 182 gallons of gas in a car. Cold water would equal only 8 gallons of gas for the year (TreeHugger).
Good Furnace Habits
During the winter months, you may want to consider replacing your furnace air filter once a month or as needed. And if your furnace has seen better days, it’ll save you in the long run to replace it now. Newer furnaces produce more heat using less energy. Finally, remember to set your furnace as low as comfortable when you’re home and drop the temperature 10° to 15° when you’re gone for the day. This can save you 10% to 15% a year on heating costs.
Good Humidifier Habits
It may seem like an odd approach to saving money, but a home humidifier can actually cut energy costs over the winter. Since furnaces produce dry air, and dry air isn’t known for holding heat, a house humidifier can bump up the humidity and warm up the feeling of the air. It also helps the temperatures in your home to decline at a slower rate, reducing your heating bill.
Good Kitchen Appliance Habits
Dishwasher
There are three easy ways to save money when you run your dishwasher: Only run it when it’s full (saving 1,000 gallons of water/month); don’t use the heated dry setting, open it when they’re clean and let them air dry instead; just scrape the dishes clean before putting them in, no need to prewash them.
Oven
Your crockpot, pressure cooker, toaster oven or microwave should become your new best friends. They all use less wattage/energy than an oven or stove. They can cut your energy consumption by up to 50%. Also, keep the oven door shut when you’re cooking/baking – each time you open the door the temperature can drop by 25°. But once you’re done cooking and the oven is turned off, keep the door cracked open. The residual heat can help warm your home and save you money.
Refrigerator
Here’s a simple tip: clean your refrigerator’s condenser coils twice a year. The coils are either behind or under the fridge and can be cleaned using a long-handled bristle brush or vacuum attachment. This stops your refrigerator from having to work so hard, which in turn uses less energy.