Now that the new year and new decade have arrived, it’s time to make a resolution for 2020! While many folks lean towards the usual pledges (to eat healthier foods, exercise more, etc.), this could also be a great year to take some practical steps toward improving the safety and cost-effectiveness of your home.
How can you ensure that your home is safer and your utilities are lower in 2020? Just make a couple of items from this list your New Year’s Resolution!
- Take the Time to Declutter
- Make the Switch to LED Lighting
- Get Your HVAC System Maintained and Inspected
- Invest in Energy-Efficient Windows
1. Take the Time to Declutter
Clutter–nearly everyone’s home has it, and once it’s in your home, it can feel like it’s impossible to remove. What’s more, too much clutter can obstruct walking paths in your home and become a hazard.
If you’ve been feeling too overwhelmed to tackle your home’s clutter issue, here are some tricks that make the task more manageable.
- Don’t try to tackle the whole house in one day. Only tackle one area at a time.
- Set aside a specific block or blocks of time for decluttering each week.
- Make the blocks of time short (less than one hour). It makes the time you spend reorganizing much less tiring and overwhelming.
To get a jump start on decluttering, set aside 30 minutes per day for one week. In seven days, you’ll accomplish three and a half hours of cleaning and decluttering without drastically changing the flow of your day.
Additionally, you may find things you wish to sell either online or at a yard sale. These extra funds can go toward much more enjoyable things like family vacations or dinners out with friends.
2. Make the Switch to LED Lighting
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, residential LEDs use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent lighting. What’s more, residential LEDs last 25 times longer. Even if switching your home’s lightbulbs to LEDs might seem like an inconsequential change, you’ll immediately see a reduced energy bill. Additionally, because these lights are so efficient, they can pay for themselves in less than one year.
3. Get Your HVAC System Maintained and Inspected
Scheduling regular maintenance for your HVAC systems has both energy- and safety-related benefits. The longer your heating and cooling equipment runs without maintenance, the less efficient it becomes, which results in higher energy bills. Safety inspections are particularly critical for gas furnaces, which can leak carbon monoxide or exhaust fumes if not functioning correctly or properly sealed.
4. Invest in Energy-Efficient Windows
During the summer, your home gains a lot of unwanted heat through standard, single-pain windows. Likewise, during winter, these windows can cause your home to lose much-needed heat. To lower your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable, consider upgrading your home with ENERGY STAR qualified windows. Their design enables them to trap heat during winter and keep excess heat out during summer. What’s more, they save homeowners between $126 to $465 annually over single-pane windows and between $27 and $111 annually over double-pane, clear glass windows.
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When you are looking for the best service, value, and craftsmanship, don’t hesitate to call our Salem heating and cooling technicians at Woodward Heating Air Plumbing today: (503) 739-8035.
