Energy Savings For Any Season

Can you feel the cooler nights coming into Costa Mesa? Fall is definitely in the air, hopefully we missed the Indian summer this year. With colder weather coming, what steps can an owner take to maximize savings during the fall and winter?

Here’s a top ten list on energy savings for any season which are easy changes you can make to maximize energy savings for your home:

1. The heat is on! Replace any kerosene and small electric heaters with a direct vent furnace. They are more efficient and deliver warmth and comfort throughout the winter.

2. Bright Lights: Switch your regular light bulbs to compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) that use about 20% less of the power than the old incandescent bulbs used to use each year. If you want to go even further, the newer LED bulbs cost more but will save you even more in the long run for your Costa Mesa real estate house.

Setting a thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter saves considerable energy

3. Go to 68 Degrees! Adjusting your thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter (and 78 degrees in the summer) will save you as much as 15% off of your energy bills by conserving just a few degrees of comfort. Synch your adjustable thermostat and save even more when you are not at home.

4. What a Drain!!! TVs, DVD players, CD players and DVRs can be plugged into energy saving power strips that can be turned off when not in use. These bigger entertainment appliances can really suck a lot of the electricity dollars out of your bill on a monthly basis. I know I’m way too guilty of this in my Costa mesa real estate home with all my kids video games!

5. Fan Favorite: Rather than running the air conditioning on those hotter days, consider using ceiling fans that push around the cooler air. That will save you as much as 40% off of your monthly cooling bills here in Costa Mesa real estate. Super Cool fact: Which way? Generally, most ceiling fan switches should be in the down position in summer for a counter clockwise spin and up in the winter, turning clockwise to send more comfortable air out and down.

6. The Missing Link: Find any air leaks that might be letting air out of your house. The biggest culprits are usually the seals around windows and doors which can be easily fixed with weather stripping, caulking, or expanding foam insulate.

7. I’m Floored! Believe it or not, good quality hardwood floors instead of carpets (made with petrochemicals) will create better air quality with your Costa Mesa real estate home and keep you healthier over time.

8. Burn recycled wood logs: If fumes from traditional sawdust and wax logs, which often contain petroleum and paraffin, give you the chills, try logs made of 100% recycled materials for organic warmth.

9. Tankless Water Heaters – I’ve been a big fan of these in my homes the last couple of years, and Rinnai makes a good product right now. They are a little more expensive on the front end, but with the right maintenance they should last twice as long. Right now, my energy savings over a tank system for a family of four has been between $15 and $20 per month.

A solatube is a small skylight that uses little space but adds huge amounts of natural light to any room.

10. Skylights – Installing a relatively inexpensive skylight in main living areas of your home that adds natural light will help reduce your electricity consumption even further. There are good choices from brands like Velux or SolaTube.

Notice I didn’t talk about solar panels? Seems like an amazing fix, but they are still pretty expensive for most Costa Mesa homeowners these days.