Fall also brings necessary changes to your home’s energy efficiency strategy. Leaving us stuck between the need for an air conditioner and a heater, autumn brings with it many unique challenges when it comes to saving energy around your home. Here are some great ideas for keeping your energy costs in check during this fall season!

• As you might other times of the year, adjust your thermostat’s temperature to achieve the best possible heating and energy saving opportunities. A good rule of thumb to follow is letting your thermostat rest at 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you are at home, then adjust it as needed when you are out of your house or sleeping.

You can easily make these changes, and gain insights into what temperatures will provide you with the most savings, by installing a programmable thermostat in your home. Click here to learn more about how programmable thermostats can save you money on your heating bills!

• If you use a fireplace for supplemental heat, make sure that you are using heat-retaining features to reduce the amount of heat you waste. Also, be aware that your fireplace should be closed whenever it is not in use, as cold air from outside can easily seep in through your fireplace.
• As we’ve written about before, insulation is very important for keeping your energy costs stable during the changing seasons.

• If you have a screen door, replace it with a glass door during the fall. Screen doors are great during the spring and summer, as they allow you to keep your main door open and increase the airflow into your home, but this is undesirable during the fall and winter. Instead, a glass door will retain heat better, as well as letting in sunlight for some additional warmth.

• When designing your home (or looking for a new home), keep this best practice in mind: ideally, your water heater will be as close as possible to the kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms. This increases your energy efficiency by limiting the distance that hot water has to travel to get to your appliances and faucets—you’ll use much less water waiting for it to heat up!

Do you want to learn more about fall energy efficiency tips? Here is some further reading on the topic!

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While landscaping during the fall can be a chore, the season can see your energy bill beginning to climb higher, compared to the rest of the year. However, there is something that can be done! There are several ways that you can adjust your landscaping habits to save energy around your home to make those beautiful autumn months better on your wallet.

Wind flow

Wind flow is important because it can block cold winds during the winter, thereby decreasing the amount of money you must spend on fall and winter heating costs. There are several ways that you can use wind flow, and other such techniques, to position the landscaping elements of your yard in such a way that your heating costs will decrease.

For instance, if you plant evergreen trees in your yard to block the northwest winter winds, you can cut your heating costs by up to 25 percent! Another great way to lower your heating bills is to ensure that the lawn on the south side of your home has open areas where snow can collect. Sunlight will reflect off this snow onto your house, providing a natural source of extra warmth!

Watering plants

The simple way to decrease your water usage is to water your plants in the morning, when evaporation rates are low. This will keep you from having to use extra water to gain the same results.

Leaf management

Leaves become quite troublesome during autumn, so having an efficient leaf management strategy is important to keep you from wasting extra time and energy on landscaping. Here are some best practices for dealing with fallen leaves in your yard:

• Rake up your leaves at least once per week, making an effort keep them away from your driveway and walkways. Not only can excessive leaves pile up and obscure these paths, they can also become dangerous slipping hazards when wet.

• A light amount of leaves can be mowed over, ideally with a mulching lawn mower, and left on your lawn. This is the simplest way to deal with leaves, but only works if you’re dealing with a small amount of leaves at a time. If you can stay on top of your mowing, then this will be an easy solution. However, if you are dealing with a large quantity of leaves, it is recommended that you mow your lawn with a mulching lawn mower that has a bagging attachment. This bagging attachment will collect the shredded leaves, which you can then use as mulch.

• Mulch is a natural source of fertilizer that provides nutrients to the rest of the plants on your property as the mulch decays. You can use this free source of mulch as fertilizer around your trees or in your garden. As a result, you’ll save the money that you would have normally spent on mulch or fertilizer at the hardware store!

• Lastly, you can compost your leaves; click here if you are interesting in learning how to do so properly!

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