This Little Piggy Wants to Save Money…

I don’t know about you, but this is the time of year when money gets tight around my home. With all of the holidays – which is great fun – money has the potential to add up quickly – and then add to that the expense of trying to keep the house heated and everyone warm – well, it is an almost suffocating time of year for the dear ol’ piggy bank. I am pretty sure I want what everyone else wants – to spend less on my utilities and to put more money into savings. Energy expenses are just through the roof these days and it doesn’t seem like that will change anytime soon, if ever. But what can we really do about it? We HAVE to heat our homes; that part is not really an option and while I do enjoy a good fire every now and then, it is really not an efficient way to warm our homes all winter long. A solution may be easier to come by than you think. Read “Have You Heard about Hybrid Heating?” This is something to get really excited about and a way to let that piggy bank fill up with savings.

Have You Heard about Hybrid Heating?

I am sure you are well aware that energy prices are increasing at an astonishing rate, even to the point where we are paying 64% more in energy costs now than we were just 5 years ago. That is just plain jaw-dropping. As gas prices continue to fluctuate wildly (mostly up, but sometimes just a touch down, then up again), more and more people are trading in their gas-guzzling cars for hybrids. Thankfully, the same technology that allows the hybrid cars to get amazingly good gas mileage (and save their owners tons of money in the process) can now be applied to our home heating systems. How It Works… A Hybrid Heating system works much the same way as a hybrid vehicle; it uses two heat sources to warm your home. The first heat source is a heat pump that draws in heat from outside your home when the weather is mild. The upside to this, of course, is that heat outside your home is free. “Free” for now, I suppose. I guess someone could always come along and figure out a way to charge for that too. Once a “break-even” point is reached, the furnace will automatically switch itself to gas heat to continue the process of warming your home. You will never even know this is happening. It is a silent and seamless transition. The only time you will notice a change is when you receive your first utility bill and it is significantly less while your home is still as warm and toasty as you like it to be. If you are wondering if a Hybrid Heating system is right for you, call us today at 925-203-9141 or click here to schedule a FREE Energy Analysis for your heating system.

Predictions… Are They a Gift or a Curse?

Most people, by nature, want to know what is in their future. Some predictions are wonderful to have like... “It is going to be a mild summer.” That one is awesome, so it would definitely be listed in the “gift” category. Other predictions may make life a little difficult for someone involved in the prediction. I would imagine it is both a coaching dream and nightmare to be predicted to win a national championship. On one hand, surely it makes recruiting a breeze – who wouldn’t want to be on that team! On the other hand, I am assuming the coach would have to work very, very hard to keep the team focused on each and every game left to play. So maybe that one is a gift and a curse. Another “gift” is knowing that this is going to be a COLD winter. Knowing it in advance allows you to make adjustments to your heating system so that you save money this winter instead of spending it unnecessarily. If you are interested in learning more about saving money on energy bills, read “Who Keeps Messing Around With Your Home’s Gas Bills?”

Save, Save, Save…

Who doesn’t want to save these days? I want to save time, money, energy and anything else I can think of. There is just not enough of anything these days to be wasteful or maybe as I have gotten older, I just care more about saving money and being efficient with regards to time. I need the things around me to work promptly and properly. I just don’t have time for my computer to have issues, my oven not to turn on or my toilet to back up. That being said, I really do not have the time to wait for my furnace to die before replacing it with another one. It’s one thing for my computer or toilet to have problems – those things I can work around. It is a whole other ball game for my heat not to work and my home to be cold. Read why “Wait and See Doesn’t Really Work” so that you are not left out in the cold and can save your time, money and energy costs today.

New vs. Old

In a war of new vs. old, who wins? I guess it would depend on what we were referring to. I personally think “old” music is better than the “new” stuff that is called music now. Between old and new cars… that’s a tossup for me; I like features from both. Old dog vs. new dog… I’ll take my old dog, thank you very much. But, when talking about an old vs. new heating system, it’s new that wins hands down every time. The old ones just cannot compete. They use more energy to produce the same amount of heat as the new ones which means they cost us more money just to run them. They can give out at any moment and then what are you left with – a cold home and a big bill. But don’t take my word for it. Read “Hey, I’m freezing in here. Is the furnace even working?” and find out why a new heating system is the way to go this winter.

Where Does It Go?

There are many times I wonder about where my money is going. Of course, I know where the biggest chunks go with a mortgage to pay, utilities, groceries, etc., but the other place my money goes is to repair various things around the house that break. I particularly loathe spending money on plumbing repairs, but there is no way around it; if your plumbing doesn’t work, you have to fix it. I am sure I feel the same as most other people. I just want things to work as they should. I don’t really want to spend time and money repairing things – I want them not to break in the first place. With that being said, I would much rather spend money having an item serviced or repaired than to have to replace the whole thing. That’s when the big bucks really fly out of the window. It can be hard though, especially in this economy to spend money servicing something that is not (as far as you can see) broken. Maybe if our home comfort systems had an “I need servicing” light like our cars have a “change oil” light, it would be easier. Especially if it buzzed or dinged until we had it serviced. My car is relentless about reminding me until the oil is changed. It is not good for your furnace to be turned on each year without being serviced. In fact, it could be dangerous. Just as driving around in a car without ever changing its oil is dangerous and very damaging to your car. For more information on what to do for your home comfort system, read “What’s Good for Me Is Good for You.”

The Maintenance Issue

It is common knowledge that we must take care of things in order for them to work the way they were designed. If we don’t change the oil in our cars, bad things will happen. But isn’t it still a bit annoying when the “change oil” light comes on? Now you will have to find time in your already busy day to spend at least 30 minutes having your car serviced, all so that you can continue to drive it without any problems. I will admit this is a tri-monthly experience I don’t enjoy and wish there was some kind of reward to be had for keeping up with all those oil changes. Don’t get me wrong, I know the real “reward” is the money I am saving by keeping it maintained as opposed to “letting it go” and then having to spend a ton in repairs. We all know this to be true when it comes to cars, but we turn a blind eye to the same logic when it comes to our home comfort systems. We continue to use our home comfort system year after year, even after it has spent months being unused and we don’t want to spend the money to have it serviced so it will run safely and efficiently. Unfortunately, not applying the same maintenance logic we use with our cars to our home comfort system is costing us more money in the long run. Read “The Easiest Way to Save Money I’ve Ever Seen… is about to end” to learn more about maintaining your home comfort system and all the many rewards that go along with it.