Keep That Door Closed!

With the Holidays come chilly weather and expensive heating costs.  When your family and friends join you for your Holiday party or dinner, encourage them to drop their coats off in the spare bedroom and keep the door closed.

If you have friends or family who smoke cigarettes and you do not smoke inside your house or apartment try to encourage them to all smoke together to minimize the amount of times the doors are opened.  If you have a garage, encourage smokers to use that as the smoking area.  Less heat will escape if you use interior doors to the garage.  

Every time the door is opened a little heat escapes and a little cold sneaks in. It is okay to make rules about opening the door because it is your place and you are paying the bills.  When you are saving money every little bit counts.  Thinking up creative ways to save money is fun, try some on your own and send them our way.  We'll post them for all to read.

Ceiling fans can help keep you warm in the winter.

Some may not know that ceiling fans have two directions, forward and reverse. Knowing which mode is best for what season can help to keep your heating and cooling costs down. In this economy every penny counts. It is best to check with the manufacturer of your fan to find out the best way to change the direction of the fan blades but most have a switch on the side just below the blades.

In the forward mode the fan turns and pushes air downward. This is used in the summertime to give you a 'wind chill' effect. In the winter time the fan should be in reverse mode. In the reverse mode the fan forces air upward which helps to circulate the air in the room.

The direction the blades turn for forward and reverse will vary depending on the manufacturer. Without reading the instructions that came with your fan or looking up the model on-line the best way to tell if your ceiling fan is in forward or reverse mode is to stand directly under it. If you feel air blown your way it is in forward mode and if you do not feel the air you are in reverse. Remeber when you do decide to change the direction of the fan blades to make sure that it is at a complete stop before trying to flip the switch.

While we are on the subject of ceiling fans it is good to note that you should clean your fan blades at least every week or two. The buildup of dust actually causes more drag and causes the motor to work harder. This will cause the life of your ceiling fan to be cut short. So, to insure a long life with your fan, clean the blades! Swiffer actually makes an attachment just for cleaning ceiling fans. Though I have never used the Swiffer for my fan, I have heard that it works quite well as long as you maintain a routine and don't let the blades get too dirty.

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Winter nears, are you ready?

As winter approaches it is time to start thinking of ways to cut our heating costs. You may not know this but one easy way to do this is open your drapes on a sunny day. By opening your drapes you let the sun warm your room. It may not seem like much but every little bit can help. Especially if you live in a cooler region. Just remember to close the drapes before it gets dark. Heating your room by one or two degrees takes a little stress off your central heat.

Don't have central heat? Maybe you have a fireplace or wood stove. Remember to buy your wood in the off season. Prices for wood can actually double when it gets close to time to need it. You can get some excellent deals on wood in the early spring into summertime. People want to sell the last of what they cut before it is warm enough to not need it. If you happen to go this route, be sure to cover your wood pile and protect it from the elements.

In the coming weeks we will have plenty more money saving tips and tricks. We will also be doing some product reviews that will help you to choose some nifty items for making your house more efficient for both winter and summertime. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

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