Happy Friday: Green Tip: Winterize

Everyone always says that there are a lot of unseen expenses in home ownership. While The Hubs and I are definitely new at owning a home, we have already learned this lesson. In looking for creative ways to save money we are constantly battling immediate gratification versus long term savings. A good example of this was our recent need for a new washing machine. Ideally we were searching for an eco friendly, energy efficient, front loading washer. Unfortunately, these machines can be considerably more money up front. In the end we decided to spring for the more energy efficient option and save on our monthly bills. This purchase got me thinking about other ways to cut back on our energy bills.

It's no surprise that winter is quickly on the way. We have a beautiful old house but with this comes the challenge of keeping it warm and and energy efficient. We have old windows and basically NO insulation in our attic. Both of these issues are problematic. For only a few dollars we will be able to cover our windows in plastic to keep out some of the cold. This isn't the prettiest solution but it will cut down on energy costs and buy us some time before we eventually invest in some new double paned windows.

The lack of insulation in our attic requires a more costly solution since there is basically NO insulation up there already. Eek! Fortunately for us we have a friend who use to be a sales rep for a newspaper based eco friendly & fire retardant insulation. We are even getting his help blowing it into our attic. This is a more costly problem but fortunately our friend knows all about installation and is willing to help us do it ourselves.

The last thing we will be investing in to cut down on our energy bills is a timed thermostat that will produce heat only when we need it the most.

For more energy saving ideas, please see this article by www.thegreenestdollar.com.