The EPA also recommends scheduling an annual house inspection. While this may sound like just one more hassle and expense, a professional contractor will check your thermostat and tighten electrical connections. Not only will an inspection reduce potential winter dangers like fire, it will head off many unpleasant surprises. Better to know that your furnace is on its last leg now than to have it clunk out on the coldest day of February.
Keep the heat indoors
To avoid other mid-winter surprises, ask your contractor to inspect your roof and the exterior of your house for cracks and gaps. Believe it or not, the number of cracks in the average house adds up to the size of an open window, according to the EPA. Rather than heat your whole neighborhood, the agency recommends taking a trip to your local home improvement store and sealing up those spaces with caulk.
Since heat rises, pay particular attention to the attic. If there are still cold spots, you may need to make a second trip to the hardware store and invest in some extra insulation. Energy Star, a joint program of the EPA and the Department of Energy, offers helpful do-it-yourself guidelines on their website.
Could your dishwasher be the culprit?
Once your house is sealed up, you can make it even more energy efficient by installing a programmable thermostat. This technology can eventually save you as much as $150 on energy bills, says the EPA.
Of course, to really see the energy savings, you may have to replace several or all of your older appliances. Dishwashers, washing machines, and other appliances more than a few years old could be sucking the energy right out of your house—and the money out of your wallet. More than 50 products carry the Energy Star seal of approval. These appliances are certified energy efficient.
While buying a brand new washer and dryer may seem like an awful lot of money, especially when you are trying to save instead of spend, the investment will pay for itself in the next three to five years.
Take control of winter expenses
Some Illinois residents aren’t willing to wait five years to see their winter savings. "Monarch Landing is one of the best financial decisions that I’ve come across," says Barbara Smart, who moved to the DuPage County community when too many repairs and expenses began adding up in her house. Smart realized that keeping up with her house was not going to get any easier—or any less expensive.
"When I think about adding up what I pay for my security system, what I pay for lawn care, electric bills, the sewer and water and all that, the monthly service package here is not as much as what I paid in my house."
Now, spikes in energy costs don’t affect Smart’s winter budget. Nor is she responsible for maintenance and repairs. Her home at Monarch Landing comes with a lifetime warranty and a full-time maintenance team. "If something goes wrong with my dishwasher, I just make a call. I don’t have to wait for the serviceman. Somebody’s there. They take care of it."
Plan with confidence
"Smart is one of a growing number of people who are finding greater control in communities like Monarch Landing," says Retirement Counselor Markie Simmons.
"Homeowners are forced to spend so much of their money on things that are entirely out of their control, like roof repairs, like snow removal, like big energy bills. Month to month, you just don’t know how much you’re going to have to shell out, or for what," Simmons says. "That unpredictability is causing a lot of people to take a closer look at places like Monarch Landing. When you have this much financial control and stability, you can really plan for the future with confidence."