A New Year's Resolution

Now is the time of year when most people think about New Year’s resolutions.  The most common resolutions are to lose weight, quit smoking, get out of debt, save more money, spend more time with family, and to stop procrastinating (notice I put that one last).  How about adding one more to that list? Why not make our homes more energy efficient?

Making our homes more energy efficient actually contributes to completing the save more money and get out of debt resolutions.  I am amazed at how willing home owners are to refinance their homes to save money, but they never think about reducing the costs to live in it.  People forget that their homes actually have two monthly costs, the mortgage payment and utility bills.

I have a current client that pays on average (yes average) $1,200/month for utilities.  Their large home is poorly insulated, doubles as a wind tunnel because of air infiltration, and their multiple duct systems are losing almost half the air that runs through them.  Once the work is completed on the home, their utility costs should be cut in half.  That’s a savings of over $7,000/year!  Even though this is an extreme example, imagine how much debt you could pay off or how much more you could contribute to savings if you could cut your monthly utilities in half.

So before you eat that last big meal, before you put out that last cigarette, before you buy that last frivolous item, and even before you wait till the last second to make your resolutions, consider adding increasing energy efficiency in your home.  You’ll save yourself money while making your home a more comfortable and healthy place to live.  Here is a perfect New Year’s resolution: “Don’t throw money at your problems, throw knowledge, it’s a lot cheaper.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE ENERGY GUY!