Save Money On Your Energy Bills With A Home Improvement Project

© 2006 Emerson Lockwood

If you are looking to tackle a new home improvement project in your home, you may want to consider making it one that will reduce your long-term energy costs. Sure, we all like home improvement projects that result in making a home more beautifuland attractive, but not all home improvement projects are as glorious as the ones that you may see on television.

Choose a Project

There are multiple home improvement projects that can dramatically reduce the costs of your heating and cooling billsyear-after-year. With the rising costs of energy, these types of energy saving projects are more important than ever. Some of these energy saving projects will create a great return on investment over a period of time. If it costs you $50 to complete the project, it is reasonable that you could save $50 on energy bills within the first six months of completing the project, if not sooner.

There are many different types of energy saving projects that can help you to save energy on your heating and cooling bills. Let's take a look at just a few examples of projects that you can take on yourself.

One project that can reduce energy costs is to seal cracks and find those pesky drafts that plague your home. You may not feel them as much in the summer time, but in the winter you certainly notice all of those drafts and air leaks when a cold breeze hits you.

Exterior Doors

One area where you will frequently find air leaks is around the exterior doors of your home. Here, there are a few things that you can do to eliminate those leaks.

One is to make sure that your door seals at the bottom against the weather stripping. Replacing the weather stripping is a much better long-term solution instead of buying one of those stuffed animal looking things that lay against the bottom of the door.You could spend a couple of dollars on one of those things, but this is not a permanent solution and most people don't think to use them in the summer time. Replacing the weather stripping is generally a simple project and is quite affordable.

Sealing your exterior doors may also mean replacing, or putting in, a storm door. Storm doors come in all types of materials and prices. A good storm door can go for about $200 and will yield you the energy savings that you are looking for. It is not necessary to go with the really outlandish and expensive storm doors with a foam core, when you are looking for ways to save on your heating bills.

Sealing Cracks and Holes

Another way to save money on your energy bills is to seal the cracks in your home. These cracks can be found around window seals, the homes foundation, attics, and basements. A quick and easy fix for these air leaks is to simply buy some caulk and a caulk gun and fill these holes. The cost of doing this will be about $10 and will pay for itself in no time at all. This is by far the easiest and cheapest thing that you can do to reduce your homes energy bill.

Adding Insulation

Adding insulation is another way that you can save a bunch of money on your homes' energy bills. Many people think of insulation as something that helps keep your home warm in the winter, but it also helps to keep the cool air in your home during the summer as well.
Some insulation projects are do-it-yourself projects that are rather painless to undertake. For example, if your attics' flooris not insulated, you may want to consider roll out insulation. All that is required to install this is measuring the appropriate length and width and unrolling the insulation.

Another insulation option is to hire a professional insulation installer to put in blow-in insulation. This is a great option for those impossible to get to spots. You may have excess space between interior and exterior walls of your home. If you do not want to tear out the walls of your home, blow-in insulation is an easy solution. Blow-in insulation can also be used in attics and basements.

Of course hiring a professional to put in blow-ininsulation is not exactly cheap, but in the long run it will eventually pay for itself with the money that you are saving on your home energy bills.

Now get to work on finding the best way that you can seal your home up. You will certainly notice the difference when your heating and cooling bills come each month. And, as you count your savings, you will be glad that you spent the time and money on these simple home improvement projects.


Emerson Lockwood writes on topics related to Home Technology, Home Improvement and Home Financing. You can see more of his articles: http://www.superhomeideas.com/x/article-directory.html- The Super Home Ideas website provides many resources for the Do-It-Yourselfer, including the Super Home Ideas link directory.Super Home Ideas covers everything to do with your home: Home Improvement, Home Repair, Buying and Selling a House, Financing a Home, Buying Homeowners Insurance, Gardening and Landscaping.http://www.superhomeideas.com/


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Using Tools: Your Safety Gear Is As Important As Your Hardware

by Dana Bradley

Do-it-yourself home improvement is a steadily increasing trend. Armed with a few episodes of their favorite home makeover show and an SUV to load up new tools and products, people flock to their local home improvement stores in hopes of finding ways to increase their home's value and their quality of life. Unfortunately, they may pass over the safety gear, increasing the chance that their home improvement project will end with a trip to the emergency room. For each type of project you do, there are safety precautions that you should take, whether you are a novice or an expert.

For almost any project, you will need safety glasses or safety goggles. Even if you are using hand tools, debris can fly back and hit you in the eye and destroy your vision. For power tools, they are a no brainer. If you are doing a lot of work outside, there are now safety glasses available with UV protection that double as sunglasses, so you can protect your eyes from the sun and from your project at the same time.

If your project involves painting, installing insulation, or working with any kind of chemicals, a mask will protect your lungs. For some projects, like insulation or some sanding, a mask that just blocks particles from entering your nose and mouth may be sufficient. For other projects that give off fumes, you will want a respirator mask that eliminates fumes from the air you breathe, in addition to making sure that you work with as much ventilation as possible. Also, make sure fumes have dissipated before allowing your family and pets back into the work area.

Gloves will protect your hands from scrapes, bumps, and blisters, and can also make post-project cleanup a lot easier. For jobs that involve moving materials like wood or drywall, or repetitive motions like raking or sweeping, you will probably want work gloves made from canvas or leather. For other jobs like painting or plumbing, latex or vinyl (if you are allergic to latex) gloves will keep your hands clean, and also let you keep dexterity for manipulating things in small spaces or doing detailed work.

No matter how careful and prepared you are, accidents can and do still happen. Keeping a well stocked first aid kit on hand can take care of minor injuries and help fill in the gap until emergency help arrives for larger ones.

About the Author
Dana Bradley writes about Hardware Deals and Coupons and Electrical Tools.

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