From Guest Blogger Bobbi Peterson: How Spring Cleaning Can Mean More Energy Efficiency

It’s finally starting to be warm out on a regular basis. That means spring is almost here, and lots of people are getting the itch to clean up. Since this is the time of year when everyone wants to clean anyway, you might as well make it work double time for you. Whenever possible, try to work smarter. In this case, that means lowering your energy bills!

Clean up Wires

Tidying up is clearly the main point of spring cleaning, but clearing up the wires you have lying around under your desk can do more. Clean them up and keep them in one spot, and you can actually have a bit more security with your devices. In this case, a surge protector can do most of the work.

Simply plugging your devices into a power switch makes it incredibly simple to turn them off at night. Just flip the switch before bed or work and you’ll stop a good portion of the phantom usage that adds to your electric bill.

Change Your Air Filter

You need to change your air filter regularly anyway. Including it in your spring cleaning makes it fairly easy to remember. Of course, you should change it more often than once a year, but once a year is better than never! You should generally shoot to change the air filter every three months, or whenever it looks dirty. Otherwise it’ll slow down air flow and make your whole system work harder for both heating and cooling.

Check out Your Water Heater

While you’re rooting around in your basement to change the air filter, double check your water heater. It’s a big item that gets left alone and forgotten about, so checking on it is really important. If you find any issues, head them off right away so you don’t end up with a bigger problem later.

Assuming your water heater is plugging away decently, you can lower the temperature a little bit. It’ll save you money of course, but it’s also a great idea if you have kids in the house, too. It’s an excellent safety precaution.

Clean out Your Air Ducts

You’ve changed the air filter — now the last thing you want is to immediately dirty it again with filthy air ducts. Instead, check them out. If they haven’t been cleaned in a few years, they’re probably pretty dirty, and that’s not good for you or your HVAC system. Air ducts are also a good place for mold to start, so getting rid of that can help you with a myriad of health issues.

Double Check for Drafts

Any leaks in the windows or doors wastes the air your AC is working so hard to cool. While you’re organizing, check out the windows and doors. If you have a fireplace, check the flue as well. Any time you find a drafty area, seal it up. Most windows and doors have some kind of draft, so minimizing it as best you can is vital. Your home uses a ton of energy — don’t let it leak out without doing any good.

Make Use of Windows

Windows in the spring are a godsend. Keeping them closed but with the shades up during the day can help heat your home when it’s a bit cool. Once it gets warmer, just toss the windows open and get a cross breeze going. In other words, keep your heat and AC off as much as you can. You probably won’t be able to pull it off for the whole summer, but use it while you can. It’ll help extend the life of your HVAC system to give it a break, too.

Clean out and Restock the Fridge

Everyone has some expired stuff in the fridge. Salad dressings, mayonnaise and other expired goods are pretty common. Cleaning those out will help, but it’s even more important to get rid of stuff that can cause other things to go bad. Any old food that’s been pushed to the back and forgotten about can hurry along the spoiling of other food items. Microorganisms that cause rot can become airborne and drift around to new foods.

You should also check your fridge’s seal. Keeping the cooler air from escaping during the summer helps your fridge work more efficiently. There is some speculation that keeping it stocked could also help it work better, but this is largely unproven and wouldn’t save much energy either way.

Spring cleaning isn’t just to make your place more comfortable — it can also make it more affordable. So start getting excited, because all that work can actually pay off in real money.