Save money on winter utility bills and help the environment with these 10 simple tips

1. Setting your water heater to 120 degrees is simple and will save you $6 to $10 a year.

2. Open the drapes or blinds on your south-facing windows to let the sun in and warm your home during the cold months.

3. Set your thermostat to 68 degrees so your heating system will operate less and use less energy. Turn your thermostat down 5 degrees at night or when leaving your home for an hour or more to save up to $70 on energy costs each year.

4. Washing all your clothes in cold water will save you about $40 a year.

5. Replace your furnace or heat-pump filter regularly. Dirty filters reduce airflow, making your equipment work harder and use more energy. Replace your furnace filter monthly (unless it’s a high-efficiency filter designed to last several months) during the cold season to reduce heating costs by as much as $35 a year.

6. A programmable thermostat is easy to install and automatically adjusts your home’s temperature settings when you’re sleeping or away. Doing so can save you as much as 10 percent or $70 a year.

7. Installing low-flow showerheads and faucets (the low-flow showerheads use 1.8 gallon per minute) can reduce your hot-water consumption by as much as 10 percent. You'll see savings up to $6 per year for a sink faucet aerator and $20 per year for a showerhead. The more faucets and showerheads your home has, the more you save.

8. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs cost a little more but can save you about $50 over the life of just one bulb.

9. Weatherize and insulate older homes to save as much as 20 percent off heating and cooling costs. A handy homeowner can weather-strip doors and sea windows and gaps along the home’s foundation. The easiest and most cost-effective way to insulate a home is to add insulation in the attic, though unfinished basement walls and crawlspaces could use it, too. Check with a contractor to insulate walls, which can be more complex. The owner of an average home can see a savings of $140 a year.

10. Purchase ENERGY STAR® appliances. Appliances and electronics significantly increase your energy bill, so when it’s time to replace, remember that refrigerators, washers, TVs and computers have two price tags – purchase price and lifetime energy costs. According to ENERGY STAR®, the average homeowner spends about $2,000 on energy bills every year. Change to appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR® rating and save $75 a year in energy costs while preserving the environment.

Out with the old: kitchen design should have stations and storage

Remodeling magazine recently offered a few kitchen design “dont's”
for the remodeler and those building a new home
(courtesy of the Topeka Capital Journal):

• Don’t design around the kitchen triangle. The “working triangle” philosophy of refrigerator/sink/range was a ploy in the 1950s to sell cabinetry. Today’s kitchens work better with stations.

• Don’t base your design on the desires of the main user. Even if one person is disinterested in the new design of the kitchen, get him or her involved to make sure the kitchen fits the needs of any potential user living in the house.

• Don’t skimp on storage: while the big appliances may be the kitchen’s showpieces, you still need room for all your kitchen equipment, especially the unsightly ones.

• Don’t hang on to old appliances, pots or gadgets that take up valuable space but aren’t used often. Focus on your new space and how you’ll use it, and get rid of whatever excess you don’t need.