These hacks can save on home maintenance.

Try These Hacks

Most people spend a fair amount on maintaining their homes. And many of us could make a significant decrease in that expense with a few inexpensive, easy hacks.

Leaky Doors and Windows

On a windy day, inspect your windows and doors. Look to see if you can feel a draft. If you do, you are wasting energy heating and cooling your home. Try some caulk or weather stripping to stop those energy robbing drafts.

Did you change the furnace filter lately?

You should be changing them regularly. Some filters are designed to last three months, others for thirty days. However, there are no filters which are designed to last a year – or more. By not changing the filter, you cause the unit to work harder, which uses more energy. Filters are cheap, they cost less than the extra energy. And making the unit work harder can cause it to wear out quicker, and that is expensive.

Any water leaks?

A dripping faucet or a running toilet will waste a lot more water than you realize. A new washer in a faucet or a new stopper in the toilet are very inexpensive. One drip per second from a faucet can waster over 3,000 gallons per year. And fixing these are easy, find a YouTube video to show you how easy.

Hot water heater?

Many people have the hot water heater turned up too high. The unit’s thermostat has the proper markings to set it to.

Light bulbs

If you have any incandescent light bulbs, replace them with LED bulbs today. LED bulbs use a lot less electric for the same amount of light, and they last a long, long time. If you have compact fluorescents, they are better than incandescent, but still use more electric than LED bulbs.

Get a programmable thermostat.

The newer thermostats cycle within a smaller range of temperatures, which makes the furnace run more efficiently. Yes – this saves you money. This is because they can be programmed to turn on and off to match your schedule. You can be control some newer models from your phone with an app. As a result, yurn up the heat when you are on the way home.

For similar articles, read some previous posts at www.55plusinmonmouth.com/blog/. Or call me with questions.

Art Reiman – Realtor 732-598-7700