Real Estate Investing

Oh my it’s hot outside today.  Luckily, we’ve only reached 102 degrees so far this year and with the high clouds billowing up right now, we may be in for rain and relief.  Even with our thermostat set at 74 in my building, I still have my oscillating fan cooling my office because I’m on the second floor which is harder to cool.  At home, I’ve discovered a few tricks to help keep my house cool without my electric bill being hot under my collar!

1. Make sure your windows and doors have good weather sealing - update those weather strips and caulking!
2. When you have two or more stories, make sure the door at the top of the stairs is closed, if possible.  This will keep the worst of the heat at the top of your stairs without it invading the second floor.
3. Turn your thermostat up two to three degrees - this could save as much as 5 percent on your energy bill.
4. Use ceiling fans or oscillating fans to stir the air so you won’t feel those extra two to three degrees you’ve lost by raising your thermostat.
5. Keep your blinds and curtains pulled during the heat of the day to help keep the cool air in.
6. Change your filters on a regular basis because this makes you heat/air unit run more efficiently thereby reducing the strain both on the unit and your bill.
7. Turn your thermostat on the water heater down to 105 degrees (from 140 range) to save energy.  You won’t notice a difference in the shower, but you will on your utility bill.
8. Use compact fluorescents for your lighting because this reduces the power you use, plus the bulbs put out less heat.  A 23-watt compact flueorescent puts out the same light as a 150-watt incandescent - that’s bright!  Watts equal heat, so on a 23-watt you can touch, but a 150-watt will take your skin off from the burn, therefore your energy bill is reduced.
9. Turn your computer off at night and unplug from any power cords because computers (along with the refrigerator and water heater) are your bigges energy users.
10. Install a time clock on your water heater that only turns on during the hours you are home (on at 4:00 a.m, off at 8:00 a.m.; back on at 5:00 p.m., off at 10:00 p.m.; or whatever fits your schedule).

If you have more ideas, please share and we’ll feature them in a future post!