Level I
“STUPID SIMPLE”
for the first 25% of savings

Install a programmable thermostat and set to 63 nights and 68 days. Buy a sweater and slippers. Move the thermostat to the center location of your home. The thermostat should not be near the fireplace, window, kitchen, bathroom, exterior wall, basement, and outside wall. You want your thermostat in a location that has no drafts. If the thermostat is located where temperatures change frequently like near a door you will waste a ton of money. Sometimes you have to move it several times.
Lower hot water temperature to 110ºF. Do not worry. Your dishes and white clothes will still be clean. It’s not a perfect world. Insulate the hot water lines in the basement and crawl. Insulate the hot water tank.
Lock all house windows. Large window gaps should be filled with removable weather putty. If windows are cracked, use the number one tool of the home “duct tape”. If your need to put plastic up on windows, do it! Install all storms if you have them. Do not leave the AC window units in windows. If they’re heavy just leave them on the floor of that room. It’s not worth hurting your back.
Remove the high density filter, electric, or HEPA filter from your furnace. Do not tell anybody you did this because they will think you’re nuts. Filters restrict air flow which cost money. Be aware that the HAVC will no longer clean the house air. You will just have to clean your home better. Buy a HEPA vacuum cleaner.
Turn off the furnace humidifier. (We call this a mold creating machine). These units waste water and these units produce moisture. Do not use house, attic or basement exhaust fans? Well, turn on the bathroom fan when you shower. Showers should be only 3-5 minutes. Have a stop watch in the bathroom and try to beat your shower time every time you take a shower.
Install a water pressure reducer gauge on the main water supply. Set the water pressure to 50 PSI. High pressure means more flow and more flow means more bucks.
Open window curtains on the south and west during the day. Next time buy insulated house curtains.
Seal and insulate the attic access doors. You do not need to go to the attic this winter. In the fall, take out what you need. In spring put it back. Fiberglass insulation fibers dust, and other airborne contaminates that exist in your attic are not good for your lungs. Stay out of the non-finished attic.
Repair all thermal by-pass locations. Example: the chimney in the basement has a 1 to 2 inch fire gap at the ceiling joist area. Air from the basement wills by-pass the first and second levels of the home to the attic. Seal this hole. Old homes are balloon structures. You need to seal these areas if they travel to the attic. Go outside and see how the snow melts on your roof. If it is irregular, go into your attic and find the holes. It may simply be that the bathroom vent is loose. Remember, warm air rises. Warm air will rise into your attic if you let it. Hot air rises through this fan and into the attic. The result is heat loss and ice dams. An insulated fan box must be insulated over this ceiling whole house fan.
Put up a sign on the front door that reads, “No Solicitors.” The sign should state “Please use side door”. Seal the door with plastic and caulk. You only have to worry about the side door. Install a new weather stripping for this side door. Just remember, every time you open the side door a dollar bill flies out.
Reverse the ceiling fans for the winter. Make the fan blow down. Most people do not know about this fan feature. Only run the fan on very cold days.
Shut your fireplace flues. Manufacture a Plexiglas or insulation cover. Cover the fireplace openings when not in use. Plan your fires. Remember, fireplaces are large open windows. Hot air rises. Even when your fire is roaring hot it is sucking massive amounts of air our of your home. Newton’s second law of physics state “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. This means cold or moist air gets sucked back into your home from cracks, sump pumps and small openings. You will have to heat up and condition this non-conditioned infiltrating air.

LET’S KICK IT UP A NOTCH