Get Your Heating Bills Under Control With a Programmable Thermostat

Get Your Heating Bills Under Control With a Programmable Thermostat

If you’re looking for ways to cut down on your home’s heating and cooling bills, one of the most common tips you’ll find is to adjust your thermostat throughout the day -- turn the heat down during or the air conditioner up during the summer, turn them back up or down only when you’re actually at home, and turn them up or down again when it’s time for bed. In theory, this is a great idea since your furnace or air conditioner won’t be working as hard to heat or cool the house when you’re not actually home or aren’t actively up and moving around the house.

According to Energy.gov, turning your thermostat down by 7℉-10℉ for 8 hours a day can help you save up to 10% on your energy bills every year. But if you’re not used to constantly adjusting your thermostat, it can be very easy to forget to change it before you leave the house so you might not reduce your bills as much as you’d like.

Programmable thermostats can give you the energy-saving benefits of adjusting your thermostat throughout the day while taking out the work of having to manually adjust it yourself. All you have to do is program it to adjust to certain temperatures at certain times of the day. You also won’t have to worry about coming home to a cold home and having to wait for it to heat up again because you can always program the thermostat to start warming things up again a little while before you get home.

All you have to do is set it to tell it what time you want the temperature to change. There are different types of programmable thermostats out there that you can set depending on what type of schedule would work best for you. A 5-1-1 programmable thermostat will let you have one schedule on weekdays and different schedules for Saturdays and Sundays while 5-2 models will let you have one schedule for weekdays and a different schedule for weekends. These models are great if your schedules tend to be pretty consistent. But if you have a more irregular schedule, a 7-day model thermostat will let you program a different schedule for each day of the week. Some types of programmable thermostats can even be adjusted through a computer or smartphone app so you’ll be able to adjust your thermostat if needed, even when you’re not at home.

If your home has zoned heating and cooling, programmable thermostats can be very nice to have. Is there someone in your home who is always freezing while there’s another person who is always too hot? If you have zoned heating, you can easily program their bedrooms to be at different temperatures so they’re both comfortable. Are there certain rooms in your house, such as an extra guest bedroom, that doesn’t get used very often? A programmable thermostat can keep those rooms consistently cooler (or warmer, depending on the time of year) than the other rooms in the house.

Benefits of Vinyl Windows

Benefits of Vinyl Replacement Windows

The time has come for you to replace your windows, but which type of window should you choose replace them with? There are several different types of replacement windows you can choose from, with vinyl replacement windows being one of the most popular options. It’s easy to understand why they’re such a hit with homeowners when they have so many great benefits to offer.

Less Maintenance

If your current windows are wood windows, or you’ve lived in a home with wood windows before, you know exactly how much effort you have to put into keeping them in good condition. Wood windows need to be scraped and painted or stained regularly to stay in good shape. They’re also prone to warping and wood rot. Many people feel like wood windows are just more effort than they really want to deal with and would prefer a type of window that doesn’t need so much attention.

If this is the case for you, vinyl replacement windows are an excellent choice. They’re easy to clean, don’t need to be painted or stained, and you won’t have to worry about the damage that can happen to wood if it comes into contact with moisture.

Save Money on Heating and Cooling

Nobody really wants to spend more money than they have to on their heating and cooling bills. We all have more important (and more fun) things to spend our hard-earned money on. Making your home as energy efficient as possible not only saves you money, it’s better for the environment, too. Aluminum windows are another popular type of replacement window, but vinyl windows are more effective at helping keep your home warm since vinyl doesn’t conduct heat like aluminum does so you won’t have to worry about your window frames leading heat out of your home.

More Affordable

Replacing the windows in your home can be a pretty big investment, but just how big of an investment it is can depend on which type of windows you get. On average, vinyl windows tend to be more affordable than other options. But just because they’re less expensive than other types of windows, that doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing quality at all. Vinyl windows are very durable and with proper care, can last for decades.

Lots of Options

Many people are under the impression that if you get vinyl replacement windows, you’ll be stuck with either white or beige for the color of your trim. Nowadays, there are a lot more window trim color options available. You can even get trim with a faux wood veneer if that’s what you want! Vinyl replacement windows can also be custom made to fit your windows so you’ll never have to worry that your window is too big, too small, or too oddly shaped to be a good candidate for vinyl replacement windows.

Easy Ways to Improve Your Home's Security

Easy Ways to Improve Your Home’s Security

One of the last things any homeowner wants to discover is that their home has been broken into. Your home is your sanctuary and having an intruder can be deeply unsettling, so home security is a top priority for many homeowners. Fortunately, many of the best things you can do to improve your home’s security aren’t very time consuming or even very expensive.

Check Your Doors and Windows

When it comes to finding ways to get in your home, burglars aren’t all that creative -- your doors and windows will be the first places they look.

Your home’s front door and first floor windows will be a burglar’s first targets, so stay diligent about locking them and make sure there’s nothing nearby that could help them get in. Overgrown shrubbery, for example, can offer a great place for a burglar to hide while they try to open a window. Back doors and the doors and windows leading to a garage are also common points of entry since many people tend to be more lax about securing them. And don’t be tempted to leave a spare key under the welcome mat, in the mailbox, on top of a doorframe, or in a fake rock -- burglars are on to that trick.

Does your home have wooden entry doors? Replacing them with new steel doors will offer you a lot more security. If you use a window air conditioner unit, you’ll want to be sure it’s secured with brackets or braces and a window lock to make it harder for someone to push the air conditioner out of the way.

Make sure all of your windows have blinds or curtains to cover them. A thief will be less tempted to break into your home if they can’t tell if there’s anything worth stealing.

Upgrade Your Door Locks

If you’ve just recently moved into a new home, now would be a good time to either replace the locks in your home or have them rekeyed. You never know how many copies of the key the previous owner handed out or who they gave them to.

While some people are very diligent about remembering to lock the door anytime they leave the house, others are a little more forgetful. If you have a hard time remembering to lock the door behind you when you leave, you might want to look into getting smart locks for your home that can automatically lock behind you. If you also have a hard time remembering to take your key with you, some smart locks can be programmed to be unlocked with a numerical code or with your smart phone.

Fake It

Two things that are sure to make a burglar think twice about trying to break into your home is a decal saying your home is protected by a security system and a “Beware of Dog” sign. Don’t have either of these things? Just pretend that you do. You can easily pick up a “Beware of Dog” sign at any hardware store for a couple of dollars and fake home security system decals can be found on sites like eBay. Most burglars won’t be willing to push their luck to find out whether or not you actually have these things.

Light it Up

Burglars love having a cloak of darkness to work in. Motion-activated lights outside of your home can be a great way to deter someone thinking of breaking into your home. But it’s important to remember that the majority of burglaries in the United States happen on weekdays during times people are typically at work or school. To prevent daytime burglaries, you might want to look into putting a timer on your lights, TV, or radio so these things will go on and off throughout the day, making it seem like someone is at home.

Choosing the Best Material for Your Kitchen Counters

Choosing the Best Material for Your Kitchen Counters

Out of all the things you can do to change the look of a kitchen, having new countertops installed is something homeowners don’t typically do unless it’s absolutely necessary. New kitchen counters can be an expensive purchase, so homeowners typically only replace them as part of a complete kitchen renovation or because their existing counters are getting too damaged and worn out.

Since new kitchen countertops definitely aren’t an everyday purchase, you’ll want to make sure you choose the right type of materials for your new counters so you know you’ll be happy with your decision for years to come. If it’s been a long time since you last thought about getting new kitchen countertops, you might be surprised at just how many different options are available nowadays. All of these options have their advantages and disadvantages, so which option is best for you all boils down to what your budget is and how much maintenance you’re willing to deal with. Here are the pros and cons for a few of the most popular types of countertops:

Quartz is currently the most commonly requested type of kitchen countertop. Quartz counters are a combination of crushed stones, resins, and coloring and it’s easy to see why it’s become so popular. These countertops can withstand just about anything you do to it and requires little special maintenance. You can cut directly on it, put hot pots and pans on it, spill things on it, and the countertop will be fine. They’re resistant to bacteria without having to be sealed. Unfortunately, quartz counters aren’t the most affordable option. In terms of cost, quartz counters can cost roughly the same as granite or marble counters.

Granite and marble countertops are two of the more expensive options for countertops, but they’re still extremely popular choices. Many people absolutely love the look of granite and marble counters and with the natural variations in the stone, every countertop is a little bit unique. They’re both pretty durable and can stand up well to being cut on and having hot things set on it. However, they the corners and edges can chip easier than quartz countertops can. Granite countertops also need to be sealed regularly to prevent staining while marble counters can get stained and scratched with use, so they’re not quite as low maintenance as quartz.

On a budget? Laminate or Formica counters are your best bet. If you hear the words “laminate” or “Formica” and immediately start getting flashbacks to the kitchen counters your parents had decades ago, don’t worry! The quality and appearance of laminate has improved greatly over the years and there are lots of very nice-looking options available nowadays. Laminate counters can look great and cost a fraction of the price of quartz or stone options, but they’re not as durable as other options. You won’t be able to cut directly on the countertop and it can burn if you set hot things on it, but as long as you remember to always use a cutting board and are careful not to set that cherry pie directly on the counter right after it comes out of the oven, you can get years of use out of laminate counters.

If your kitchen has more of that classic country look, wood countertops can help give your kitchen the warm, natural look you’re looking for. Wood countertops, also often called butcher block counters, can look fantastic, but they’re a bit more high maintenance than other options since you’ll have to sand it and seal it regularly and they’re not quite as durable as other options.

Another popular, yet low maintenance option is solid surface countertops. This is another man-made countertop material that’s more affordable than many other types of countertop materials. Solid surface countertops are made out of plastic resins and can mimic the look of stone counters, but while they don’t need as much upkeep as natural stone counters, they aren’t nearly as durable, either.

How to Find Air Leaks in Your Home

How to Find Air Leaks in Your Home

If you want to keep your home as energy efficient as possible, one of the best things you can do is check your home regularly for air leaks. The seals around doors, windows, and other areas of your home that lead to the outside can break down over time, so what was once a perfectly fine air-tight seal might not be so effective as it once was. Since we’re sure you have other things you’d rather spend your hard-earned money on than high energy bills, here are some ways you can check for air leaks around your home.

Since doors and windows are two of the main places air can escape through, those are good places to start. Other important places you should check for air leaks include electrical outlets, light switch plates, recessed lights, outdoor water faucets, baseboards, mail slots on doors, dryer vents leading outside, doors leading to attics, around your home’s foundation, the area where your chimney meets the side of your home, and where cable and phone lines enter the home. If your home has skylights, don’t forget to check around them, too.

First, visually inspect these areas to see if there are any obvious gaps or signs that the caulking or weatherstripping has become worn out. Simply putting in new caulking or weatherstripping might do the trick. When checking windows, try seeing if you can rattle them. If the panes of your windows are able to shift, you might be better off getting some vinyl replacement windows instead. Vinyl replacement windows would also be a good idea if it’s been a very long time since your windows were last replaced since they might be more energy efficient than your current windows.

Ideally, you’ll want to check for air leaks on a cool, windy day since those conditions will make it easier to locate leaks. Before you get started, shut all your windows, doors, and fireplace damper if you have one. Turn on any exhaust fans to direct as much air out of your home as possible and turn off your furnace and air conditioner so you won’t have to worry about air coming from them interfering with your tests.

The colder it is outside when you look for air leaks, the more apparent it will be if you have an air leak. You should be able to feel any drafts with your hand. But if you’re checking for air leaks on a warmer day where drafts won’t be as immediately apparent, you might want to use a laser or infrared thermometer to detect changes in temperature around your doors, windows, and other areas that might be prone to air leaks. Many people also like to take a lit candle or incense and move it around close to areas that are prone to air leaks. If there is an air leak, the flame of the candle or the smoke from the incense will change direction. If you decide to try the candle or incense test, just be very careful not to drop it as you look for leaks.

Another option is to have a professional come out and do a blower door test. With this option, the person you hire will come out and attach a giant fan to the door of your home to blow all the air from your home outside. When this happens, the only air coming into the home will be coming from air leaks so the contractor will go through your house and try to find them.