by Barry Girolamo

Created on: September 02, 2010

Conserving energy when running the utilities in your home is much easier than you may think, and can be as simple as changing a light bulb. Now just about anyone can do that. Depending upon where you live, saving on your utility bills can be a big windfall for your family, and you will also have less of an impact on our environment. If we all just used some common sense, we could reduce our dependence on middle east oil and the hold that they have on us.

By now, everyone has heard of compact fluorescent light bulbs, and I will tell you from experience that they will dramatically reduce your electric bill. A compact fluorescent light bulb only uses less than one third the energy to run as a traditional incandescent light bulb, and gives off just as much light. Compact fluorescents are designed to replace incandescent bulbs utilizing the same light fixtures, so there is no need to hire an electrician to make this switch over, you simply have to unscrew your old style light bulbs, and replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be used to replace just about any conventional bulb. It doesn’t get much simpler than that, and you will start saving on your utility bill immediately. These new bulbs are not expensive, and the savings will be noticeable when you receive your first electric bill after having made the change-over. They even make them for outdoor use, so that you can change over your flood lights, should you have any, and not have to worry about using them, as they will be much less expensive to operate.

Another place to save big on energy consumption is to check the insulation in your attic. Adding more insulation to your attic is another do-it-yourself job, and usually just requires unrolling bats of new insulation directly over your old insulation to improve the efficiency. This will keep more warm air in your house in the winter making it easier to heat, and also prevent cool air from escaping when you are running the air conditioning in the summer. The trick here is to make sure that you run the new bats perpendicular to your old insulation, and to use insulation that doesn't have a vapor barrier, as this can cause a moisture build-up which can then lead to mold problems. You also want to be sure not to cover the vents under your eaves, as this can also lead to moisture and mold problems. If you are in doubt, you can get free advice down at the local hardware store or home improvement center, or if you are really not a do-it-yourselfer, have the job done for you by a professional. It's a simple job, and should not cost you a lot of money, and it will be well worth it as your savings can be huge.

Start saving today by simply buying different light bulbs, and look into adding insulation to your attic. These two simple improvements will save you a small fortune on your energy bills.

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