People love numbered lists and we found a good one giving tips on ways to save money on energy costs around the house.  Most of the savings are small but can add up over time and many of the tips are pretty simple to accomplish.  We picked out a few good ones for you.

Your house doesn’t need to fill like the tropics in the winter or the Arctic in the summer.  In the winter, set your thermostat at 68 during the day and 60 at night.  For every degree it’s set below 70, you will save 3% of your heating bill.  Put on an extra sweater, or if you have no pride or no shame, a Snuggy.  In the summer, keep the temperature between 75-78.  For every degree you raise the temperature, it will result in a 5% savings.  Invest in a Nest, it’s a programmable thermostat that you can control via your phone.

Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.  You don’t need to take a scalding hot shower.  And it should be a shower, not a bath.  A bath uses more water.   Unless you like to indulge at the end of a long work day by soaking in a candle lit bath while catching up on the latest episode of Listen, Money Matters.  Then you get a pass.

This one is my favorite.  Use a slow cooker.  They are 75% more energy efficient than the oven or stove top.  Don’t be put off by those nasty slow cooker dishes people used to bring to pot luck dinners in the 80’s.  Slow cooking has come a long way.  I use mine once a week and a can of cream of mushroom soup has never been involved.  They also don’t heat up the kitchen in summer the way the oven does.

As they burn out, replace your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights.  The CFL’s cost more, but are more energy efficient and last up to ten times longer than old fashioned bulbs.

If you have a swimming pool, it doesn’t have to be a money pit.  Check out Matt’s site Swim University for ways to save money on your pool costs this summer including using a solar cover, running your pump after 9:00 pm, and using a robot pool cleaner.

Spend a few hours around your home to improve it’s energy efficiency and you’ll save the environment and yourself a few dollars.

Show Notes

Nest: A programmable smart thermostat that can be controlled remotely via your smart phone.

Betterment:  Open your account with this link and get a free $25 to start investing.

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