Recycling and your house as energy efficient as possible, it comes down to one thing. It is common sense. Your home as energy efficient as possible to reduce your electric bill and add value to your home. In my part of the country, the city works a monopoly so that the customer service is terrible and they behave like the mafia. Consequently there every dollar I can think of them sending me a little warm glow. More value to your home will help you and your family. The good news is that you do not have to do everything at once. Every time you take a step forward, lower your electric bill, put the money in your pocket. I own a house, and I want to share my plan of attack.
Insulation is by far the most cost effective. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends for the Mid-Atlantic region insulation should be at least R-38, about 12 to 15 inches is evaluated. A friend and I split the cost of renting the machine, so for $ 290 and a few hours of work I was able to realize an average savings of $ 12 per month. The $ 12 may not sound like much, but it basically paid for my next project.
Next, I tackled replacement windows. After some research I found boring that Windows each be in my area average between $ 200 and $ 1,000 so be sure to find a reputable company that are reasonably priced. I started with the front of the house and began replacing windows one or two at a time. When I did this my monthly electricity bill slowly but surely marched deeper and deeper. It's that warm glow again! When I was finished, I had lowered my electric bill by $ 72 a month. Also, a friend, an appraiser is estimated that I raised the value of my house at $ 10,000. I call motivation.
I now have a mystery. I am in the process of replacing appliances, furnace and water heater. The furnace and water heater are old and inefficient, so I replace them and haul them away. My puzzle is should I replace perfectly good equipment for newer and more efficient models. I am a big fan of things until there is nothing left, so I'm going to do a cost / benefit analysis on each device and then make a decision would be. In my opinion it is the best approach.
Even if you are not recycling, it's hard to agree with a lower energy bill. If you do not think you have enough to pay then please contact me by e-mail address, and you can pay me for me. I promise I will not tell anyone.
