Let's Save Some Money

We like efficiency. Like, a lot. We talk about it all the time and pretty much every installation we do is focused on.. Efficiency. High efficiency furnaces, high efficiency water heating systems, water efficient plumbing systems, the list goes on and on. These efficiencies are focused on a lower environmental impact and a higher cost savings in the long run to you. The thing is, those cost savings don’t only reside with the installation, there are other factors to consider. So let’s talk about it, let’s save some money.

Heat Loss

Heat loss takes place when the heat in your home moves from the inside of your house to the outside of your house. A small amount of heat loss is normal for most homes when the temperature outside is colder than inside. What most of us are trying to do is slow the rate of heat loss down to its lowest amount, if not stop it all together. So here are a couple of things to ponder:

Heat will always try to find it’s way out into the cold. So one of the first things we need to do is make it as hard as possible for heat to find ways to get out. Drafty windows and doors are a gimmie. Sometimes we can block these drafts with some sort of cloth, install storm doors and windows, or even replace those old doors and windows. It may sound like you are not saving money here but in many cases those short term investments can yield long term dividends. If you feel cold air getting in, heat is definitely getting out. 

Next up for heat loss is your insulation. Again, not a new concept, so we won’t spend a ton of time on it but worth at least mentioning that most of your heat loss in your house happens in your attic. Heat rises and moves with the path of least resistance by following stairwells, empty spaces in your walls, and radiating through poorly insulated floors. It will finally find its way up to your attic, the line of last defense. So do your wallet a favor and check to see if your attic is properly insulated.

Water Loss

Maybe it is just me but the other day one of my kids went to go hop in the shower. I heard the water turn on and run for a few minutes, maybe 5. Next thing I know the “supposed to be in the shower child” walks by me moving towards the kitchen (which is away from the bathroom with the running shower). When questioned on this my darling replied that “the water needed to warm up”. 

On occasion I wash a dish or two, maybe even some pots and pans. One thing I am very guilty of is allowing the water to run the entire time, start to finish. Essentially watching money run down the drain. I don’t know why I do it but I just feel like to effectively rinse soap off of a freshly washed plate the water needs continuous flow. It’s silly but it’s true. 

Maybe you have a tankless system and maybe you have a tank system. In either scenario our habits are what are forcing our hard earned money down the drain, a seemingly easy fix. 

So take a look around the ol’ homestead. Where are the leaky windows, leaky doors, and leaky habits that are costing you money?