Don’t Waste $ At Home
Posted on December 1, 2013 by bob in MoneyWise
With the onset of cooler temperatures, household service needs associated with interior climate and energy usage are the focus of this month’s column. All of these items can be costly if ignored, and some can be downright deadly.
The modern home relies heavily on appliances that use lots of energy, whether provided by electricity or natural gas. Operating efficiency is a function of the machine’s care as well as its design. Furnaces and air conditioners need periodic attention to run at peak efficiency, so having a trusted professional check and service your equipment usually pays for itself. One routine item that requires your attention is the replacement of filters.
Dirty filters diminish the efficiency of your system, using more power to achieve the same results. And never run your system without filters in place. Doing so will clog the tight evaporator coil spaces with dust, forcing you to replace this expensive component.
If you have a gas furnace, fireplace, stove or oven, it is important to install carbon monoxide detectors in your home, along with the smoke detectors that every residence needs. Check the batteries and test the units a couple of times annually. Doing this on the weekends when daylight savings time starts and ends is a good way to remember the task.
If you use a wood-burning fireplace or stove, have your chimney inspected every three to four years to defend against the risk of a chimney fire. Another fire risk can develop if your laundry dryer exhaust hose accumulates too much lint. Check your dryer vent occasionally and clean or replace it if it gets too dirty.
Also, a kinked or otherwise obstructed dryer vent hose can cause your dryer element to burn out prematurely.
Keeping your stove, oven and range hood clean will improve their efficiency as well as reduce the risk of a kitchen fire. And while you’re in the kitchen, grab your vacuum and clean the coils behind or beneath your fridge and freezer to save energy.
Ceiling fans are a popular device to keep the house comfortable without using as much energy to run the AC or furnace. Fans operate more efficiently if you clean the blades and vacuum dust from around the motor. Also, reversing the rotation in cooler weather so that the fan draws air upward will circulate warm air which rises to the ceiling. During the winter a humidifier may help you get by with a lower thermostat setting, just as a dehumidifier may save you money in summer by making higher temps acceptable.
If you have an older analog thermostat for your central heat and air system, installing a digital programmable model can pay for itself within a year or two. Checking your ductwork for leaks and adjusting your room vents to get the most from your system will save you money, too, as will closing the vents and doors to any rooms that are seldom occupied.
My final idea applies to folks with a freezer separate from their fridge. It is not only discouraging, but quite expensive to lose the contents of a fully stocked freezer when the unit stops cooling and you do not notice it soon enough. What to do? An alarm that sounds when the freezer temperature drops below an appropriate threshold can provide time to arrange a service call before the contents are lost. While this may not solve the problem while you are on vacation, it would work on many other occasions.
Next month we will shift our focus to matters related to health care cost savings. Until then, stay well, enjoy the holidays, and take care of a few maintenance items around that house that need your attention. Your wallet will thank you for it!
Alan Wallace, CFA, ChFC, CLU is a Senior Financial Advisor for Ronald Blue & Co.’s Montgomery office, www.ronblue.com/location-al. He can be reached at 334-270-5960, or by e-mail at alan.wallace@ronblue.com.
