5 EASY TIPSto Cut Your Energy Billand Save Money

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GETTING STARTED

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

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The average U.S. family spends more than $2,000 on utilities every singleyear. Paying closer attention to improving your home's energy efficiencycan help you save money and create a more comfortable home. Imaginewhat you could do with the extra money: take a vacation, go see yourfamily, invest in that dream home project, or maybe put it away in savings.

There are numerous quick and easy fixes that you can make to save youmoney, as well as some more significant solutions that require a largerinvestment, but have been proven to pay off in the long run.

The best way to start is by first paying attention to the quick fixes thatwon't cost you anything but a little bit of time. After you've completed thechecklist located at the end of this eBook, consider investing in anadvanced energy and cost saving solution such as replacing your windowswith new eco-friendly vinyl polymer clad windows. This has been proven todecrease utility bills up to 70 percent.

For now, let's move on and get started with a little math. Don't worry, it's easy. Flip to page 3.

TIP NO. 1

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

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Easily Figure YourHome's Energy Efficiency

To get started, pick up your gas and electric bills from the past 12 months. Addthem up and take the total sum divided by the square meters of the surface ofyour home, excluding unheated areas such as your garage. If you get a numbergreater than 10, then you have significant opportunity to increase your home'senergy efficiency and save on next year's utility bills.

There are 0.093 square meters in 1 square foot, so here's a simple mathequation to follow while you figure your home's efficiency.

1. If the home was 2,500 sq feet, you would take 0.093 X 2,500. This would giveyou the home's total surface area in square meters.

2,500 X 0.093 = 232.5 sq meters

2. Let's for the moment say that this home's utility and gas bills were collectively$250 per month, or $3,000 per year.

3. $3,000 / 232.5 sq meters = 12.9. Because the number is greater than 10, wecan assume there is an opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of this home.Go to the next page.

TIP NO. 2

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

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When it starts to get cold outside, the first thing we naturally do is run to thethermostat and turn it up to 70. But what if we told you that's not actually thefirst step to making your home more comfortable?

When it gets chilly outside, flip that switch on your ceiling fan to push thewarm, comfortable air back down into your home.

Remember, warm air rises. As soon as the warm air exits the ventilationsystem in your home it begins to rise toward the ceiling.

Flipping that switch on your ceiling fan (or all the ceiling fans in your home) is justone quick and easy way to not only improve your home's energy efficiency, butalso decrease your utility bill. Flip to the next page.

Turn Your Fan on ReverseTo Push Warm Air Down

TIP NO. 3

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

WindowDesignCo.com

A light-emitting diode, or LED, is a solid-state semiconductor that emits light whena current passes through it. LED light bulbs can be used in many common fixturesin your home, including accent lighting, track lighting, room lighting and outdoorspotlights.

Because of recent government regulations, you may find incandescents slowlyphasing out, but LED light bulbs offer many money and energy saving benefitsover traditional light bulbs. Here are three reasons why you should swap out yourincandescent light bulbs with LEDs:

1. A typical LED light that burns three hours a day can last up to 22 years before itneeds changed, making LED bulbs an ideal choice for hard-to-reach lights.

2. LEDs have no filament or moving parts, making them extremely durable andlow-maintenance.

3. LEDs generate almost no heat or UV rays, which can help reduce utility costs inyour home and keep fabrics and furnishings from fading.

Modify Your Most UsedLighting and Light Bulbs

TIP NO. 4

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

WindowDesignCo.com

Unfortunately, the weather strip on your doors will inevitably tear and rip overtime.Because of the traffic that comes in and out of your home's primary doors, you'llwant to make sure that you check the weather strip at least once per year.

Even though insulation won't magically grow legs and crawl away, the expansionand contraction of your home can cause it to move significantly overtime.Especially if you've recently remodeled your home or installed any new lightfixtures (for example), you'll definitely want to check the insulation in your attic.

When you do so, be sure to walk on your rafters, as you'll likely fall through theceiling if you step directly on the insulation. If you're planning any major remodelsor have a technician working in your home, be sure to double check that they putALL insulation back where they found it.

Creating a tight seal in all areas of your home ensures that you keep anyunnecessary cold air out, and all warm air in. Effective installation of your weatherstrip and insulation will have a large impact on the overall energy efficiency of yourhome. Although the idea is quite simple, this is definitely one section you will notwant to gaze over.

Double checking your weather strips and insulation (and fixing any areas that needrepaired) will take some time, but you won't regret it when you see the difference in your next utility bill.

Double Check Insulationand Weather Strips

TIP NO. 5

5 EASY TIPS TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL AND SAVE MONEY

WindowDesignCo.com

According to Efficient Windows Collaborative, a non-profit organization thatprovides un-biased information on energy efficient windows, replacing youroutdated existing windows with new vinyl or polymer eco-friendly windows is one ofthe top 5 investments that home owners can make to not only decrease energycosts, but also add significant value to their homes.

You might be wondering, as a home owner how do I know that I'm actually savingmoney? Is there really a return on investment?

We get it and completely understand your concern. If you visit the official EWCwebsite at http://www.efficientwindows.org/energycost.php you'll see the energyand cost savings from a study that focused on homes in Boston and Phoenix. Thisresearch study illustrates real examples of how home owners are saving money inthe fall, winter, spring and summer.

Above all else, replacing your old windows makes your home more comfortable foryou and your family. In short, energy efficient windows keep the warm air out in thesummer and the cold air out in the winter. To get a free quote on replacing yourhome's windows, give us a call at (785) 582-2888 (local), (800) 982-2270 (toll-free)or visit our website at WindowDesignCo.com.

On the next page, we've included a checklist to recap what we covered.To get the most out of the time you spend reading this eBook, check the items off as you work through your home.

Replace Your Windows

Checklist for a More Efficient Home

I figured my home's energy efficiency

I reversed my ceiling fan to push the air down

I changed my incandescent light bulbs to LEDs

I double checked my weather strip and insulation

I replaced my windows with eco-friendly windows