The temperature is dropping, and that means heating bills are going in the opposite direction. There are lots of ways to keep the costs associated with heating new homes in Dekalb County down even as the air gets cold and winter drones on.
Here are seven tips to keep your home warm this winter without breaking the bank:
- Turn around. Heat rises, but many ceiling fans have a switch to reverse the rotation of the fan blades. Set your fans to rotate clockwise in the winter as this pushes the warm air downward.
- Look for daylight. Make sure there are no gaps between exterior doors and the door frames where heat can escape and allow cold air into your home. Brock Built homes have all windows, assemblies, and jambs sealed with a spray foam. Windows are also sealed with tape and silicon to add an extra layer of defense against the cold.
- Drop the heat. Lower the thermostat when the family goes to bed. Lowering a thermostat 10 to 15 percent for eight hours a day can save around 10 percent on annual heating bills. Programmable thermostats in Brock Built homes can cut utility bills by as much as 20 percent.
- Keep it cold. Give your hot water heater a break when washing clothes and use cold water as often as possible.
- More insulation. Check the insulation in the attic. If it’s not measuring up, consider adding more to keep the heat inside the house. The Spray-On Fiberglass Insulation System used in Brock Built homes is great for preventing cold air from getting into the home.
- Check your filter. Make a routine of checking and, if necessary, replacing the filter. A clean filter means the system will work more efficiently, saving money.
- See the light. Change old light bulbs to more efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL). They last for years and use a fraction of the energy. CFLs can save up to 75 percent per fixture. At least half of the light bulbs in Brock Built homes are high efficiency bulbs.
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