Do You Want to be a Crawler, Walker, or Runner in Saving Money on Your Energy Bill?
If you’re a mom, then you know all about crawlers, walkers, and runners. Sometimes your crawler goes straight to running! You can apply the same levels of savings to your budget. Here are some ways to save on your energy bills.

Take the first “baby step” by calling your energy companies and ask them to come out to your home and evaluate your home for energy inefficiencies. It is often a FREE service. We have done this in two different homes in two different states for free.
However, in middle TN where we reside now, it does have a $150 fee. The bright side, is that they let you apply that fee to any major upgrades you may decide to purchase like new energy efficient appliances or a new water heater ect. Check with your power and gas company for assessments.

We received a Home Energy Survey with customized advice on what changes in habit or small improvements we could make to save specific amounts of money. They also provided us with a booklet called the Home Energy Survey Reference Guide. It gives you detailed instructions on how to save energy around your doors and windows, with your heating and cooling system, your water heating system, insulation, and they include tips on hiring contractors for larger jobs.

For example, our customized report showed us :
Crawler: If we installed a “clock thermostat” which is programmed to automatically reduce the settings at night, we could save at least $100/a year.
Walker: We could save another $100 + with weather stripping around our doors and windows.
Runner: By adding additional insulation to our attic, we could save over a $200 per year.

Another budget saver that many of the energy companies can offer is dividing your average annual costs into equal monthly payments. This way you can anticipate what your monthly bill will be every month and you won’t get “bit” during the peak months. And, if you save money this year with some of the above mentioned energy tips, then your next year’s monthly bills will be lower to reflect this year’s annual amount. It can really save you from a December and January crisis trying to pay for extra Holiday expenses and an extra $300 or more in winter energy costs. OUCH!

It also doesn’t hurt to just wear an extra layer of clothing around the house this winter.
-Kathy Danner