Here’s a sad fact: when many Americans move or change homes, they often expect a change in their energy bills. Most of the time, they expect that moving into a better home means their energy bills would decrease by an incredible margin. This is simply not the case.
In fact, many people’s high energy bills follow them from home to home, despite have energy star appliances and better insulation.
Why?
People don’t realize that their energy habits can account for as much as 50% of wasted energy. That means 50% of the “overage” …

When you are buying a new home, here are some things to look for to ensure you keep your energy bills low:

Look for energy efficient appliances. Most of the time they will still have the energy guide sticker on them. Check the efficiency and relative costs.
Check the age and condition of the delivery ducts and vents
Ask what the last HVAC job was. If someone installed central air or a new furnace after the home was built, there is an excellent chance the installer did due diligence and inspected the house …

Whether you are planning to live “off the grid” and free yourself from energy bills or just “kick back” and enjoy lower energy bills, the first step is always to understand your home’s energy usage and employ good old fashioned energy conservation techniques.
The reason for this is simple – you can not be charged for what you don’t use (in terms of energy…well this is strictly untrue if you are on a utility company’s budget payment system…but we’ll pretend for a moment that is not the case.) So, if you …

Turning up the thermostat in summer to 76 or 78 degrees F can reduce the stress on your A/C unit by as much as 10-15%.
In the same way that turning down a thermostat in the winter months can save on your heating costs, turning up the thermostat in the warmer months will save you money on your cooling bills. The technical reason remains the same. Keep in mind that air always moves from warm to cool temperatures. The greater difference there is between warm and cool air, the faster it …

Turning down your thermostat by just a few degrees to 68 F in the winter can save 5-10% on your overall heating bill.
If you think about it, this makes sense. By turning down the thermostat to a more reasonable temperature in the colder months, there is less of a difference between the air outside and the air inside. Keep in mind that insulation only slows the transfer of air, which moves from warm temperatures to colder ones. The closer the temperatures, the less air will move.
Additionally, there is less of …