Like most homeowners, you want to save money. One of the best ways to reduce your monthly bills is to reduce your monthly energy expenditure. If you want to ensure that you minimize your energy usage, do not buy into energy-saving myths. One myth about saving energy is to close the vents in the rooms that you don’t use.  In residential HVAC systems, the blower moves a certain amount of air through the ventilation, regardless of whether the vents are open or closed. When you close the vents, less air can be moved by the blower. When this happens, you reduce the efficiency of the system. The more efficiently your HVAC works, the more money you’ll save month after month. Keep the vents open to ensure optimal efficiency.

The latest electrical updates are all about smart use and energy-efficient convenience. Smart thermostats, security features and LED lighting offer excellent features to keep your home feeling safe and modern. Compare these common fixtures to see how a qualified electrician can update your home. Smart Tech Smart home systems offer easy customization of your home. The latest thermostats allow you to automatically adjust the interior temperature as you come and go throughout the day. This can dramatically reduce your utility bills without affecting the comfort of your home. Energy-Efficient Lighting LED lighting is another great way to reduce your bills and provide vibrant, comfortable lighting throughout your home. Select warm lighting for your bedrooms and brilliant white lighting for your living room or kitchen for tailored lighting.

Protecting your home from low temperatures and pests means eliminating even the smallest cracks near main entry points. Start your home maintenance in March by examining the seals around doors, windows and vents in order to determine whether there are gaps that must be repaired. Other areas in your home that may require a bit of extra caulk include tiled floors and showers.  Once you have identified the problem areas, select an appropriate type of caulk. For most of your indoor needs, siliconized acrylic sealant will do the job. If you’re working in a bathroom, pure silicone may be a better bet. With a few quick touch-ups, you can keep your home free of unwanted moisture, pests and cold air. You may even find you save money on your next utility bill!

If saving money on your energy bill is the goal, then it’s important to dispel all of the energy-saving myths. One big myth about saving energy is that turning a device off will save on electricity costs. Here is what you need to know about turning your appliances off. Vampire Electricity Use A lot of people believe that if they turn off their devices then they’ll save energy. What they don’t know about is vampire electricity use. Vampire electricity use is when a device is still plugged in but turned off, and the device continues to draw power. The most common culprits of vampire electricity use are space heaters, TVs, coffeemakers and computers. You can still save energy, but consider unplugging the device or using a surge protector with an off switch.