Tag Archives: Electric Company
Top 10 Energy-Saving Tips in Texas
If you are looking for energy-saving tips in Texas, advice will typically be focused on the summer season. Summer in Texas is long and hot, and this season is promising to be even longer since summer seems to have started early. Energy saving is a year-round endeavor, so any list of energy-saving tips, in Texas or otherwise, would be remiss without some winter tips as well. Here, Cirro Energy offers some advice to help you save energy:
- One of the top energy-saving tips in Texas is to raise your thermostat. Keeping it at seventy-eight degrees in the summer is the best way to conserve energy, and can reduce your electric bill significantly. When you are away from home for more than eight hours, raise it a little higher and you will see about one percent of savings for each degree you push it up. During the winter months, keep it set at sixty-eight degrees during the day, and fifty-eight at night
Energy Saving Tips In Texas
to see similar savings.
- Use the sun to your advantage. In the summer, this means shutting the shades when the air conditioner runs; while in the winter, it means letting the light stream in by keeping them open during daylight hours.
- Keep it clean. Clean and replace your air conditioning and furnace filters monthly – this will cut your costs dramatically and help your system run more efficiently.
- Use ceiling fans. This is one of the best energy-saving tips in Texas and other hot climates in particular. Ceiling fans can cool your body and will make the room seem ten degrees cooler. The savings on your bill can be up to about twenty-five percent! Most fans have a switch to change direction, so make sure it is blowing downward in a counter-clockwise direction during the summer. In the winter, switch it clockwise to circulate warm air.
- Run your appliances at night. Washing machines and dishwashers can heat up the house, so running them at night, when it is cooler, can help your air conditioner work more efficiently. Similarly, you might plan your baking for cold days in the winter to help heat your house.
- Use cold water to wash clothing and dishes. This will save electricity by giving your water heater a break.
- Seal it up! Cracks around windows and doorframes can be huge energy wasters. Put weather strips around doors and window, and seal fireplaces and duct work to keep from wasting energy.
- Insulate! Insulate your attic, add an insulation blanket to the water heater, and insulate your pipes. This prevents loss of energy and saves you money.
- Not using it? Shut down the power! This goes for lights, televisions, and appliances. Unplug whatever you are not using and you will make a dent in your electric bill.
- Switch to CFLs. Compact fluorescent lights use less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, and last longer.
If you are looking for energy-saving tips in Texas, here is one to emphasize: choose an energy company that has a variety of plans to meet your needs with reasonable rates. Cirro Energy is a Texas company that offers exceptional customer service and low fixed rates to over one hundred thousand Texans, all across the state. To learn more about Cirro Energy, visit our website. Also, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for more energy-saving tips and information.
Posted in Energy Saving Tips
Tagged Cirro Energy, Electric Company, energy saving tips, tips
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Texas New Home Buying Checklist
Buying a home can sometimes be an overwhelming experience, and if you are looking for a home in Texas you might find it easier with a Texas new home buying checklist. Whether you want an existing home or new construction, there are some common tasks to complete in order to make the process go more smoothly, from shopping for a mortgage to looking for a Texas electric company. Here is a list to get you started:
• Get pre-financed for a mortgage.The very first step in your Texas new home
Texas New Home Buying Checklist
buying checklist should be to secure preapproval, which involves finding the best rate, deciding on a type of mortgage and educating yourself on your credit score and which programs are available for you.
• Make a Texas new home buying checklist of your own, detailing what is important to you in a new home. Neighborhood, square footage, schools and many other factors can play a role, but only you can make an accurate list of your priorities. Do some research to learn what is available, and get a general idea of what you want before you start to look.
• Next, find a trustworthy real estate broker. You want an agent who understands your needs, and with whom you have good chemistry. Ask friends for recommendations, read reviews and find an agency with a reputation for honesty and good in-house resources. Your agent can help you find a home, negotiate price and handle all the details of the purchase.
• Do your homework on possible properties. Be sure you know any zoning changes, property tax information or other restrictions.
• Make sure to have a thorough home inspection. Have time written into your contract for the inspector to do a thorough job checking out your property before the sale goes through. Your inspection may open an opportunity to renegotiate the price of your home.
Once you have found your dream house, the Texas new home buying checklist will change to a different kind of to-do list.
• In Texas, electric company choice is up to you. In some states, consumers do not have options, but Texans are lucky enough to make their own decision in the matter. The deregulation of electricity means that consumers have the same transmission and distribution they have always had, but companies have an incentive to compete, which can mean lower electric rates and better service.
• Make sure to have your mail forwarded. The USPS has helpful kits to help you handle this detail. While you are thinking about mail delivery, update your magazine subscriptions and consider a newspaper subscription to help you get to know your new town.
• Register your children for school. The sooner your kids can get into a new routine, the sooner they will feel settled. It is important for every member of your family to feel an ownership of your new home.
• Get a new driver’s license and register your vehicle. This might be a good time to reassess your insurance needs, find a new doctor and register to vote.
• Keep detailed records and receipts of your move. Make sure all your appliances and furniture is in good condition because insurance often has a window of opportunity for claims, after which you can lose money to which you were entitled. You will also need these receipts when you are doing your taxes.
With some careful planning, and this Texas new home buying checklist, your move can be a smooth transition. With Cirro Energy, your electric needs can be met just as easily. To learn more about Cirro Energy visit our website. Also, join our community on Facebook and Twitter for more money saving tips and information.
