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If you are an avid Do It Yourself’er, you like to make improvements around your home while saving money at the same time. The arrival of fall brings with it the opportunity to make some simple improvements to your home to prepare for the colder temperatures. Here are three budget-friendly projects you can tackle this fall!

Install Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are a breeze in the summer, circulating air throughout the room, which helps you cool off and reduces the strain on air conditioners. Ceiling fans can also provide energy savings in the winter. Setting your ceiling fan to operate in a reverse or clockwise direction and adjusting the speed to a low setting, allows the fan to circulate the warm air in a room, saving energy and increasing your comfort in the process. The year-round savings that ceiling fans provide has made them a popular DIY project. Installing a ceiling fan is a relatively simple project, especially if you are replacing an old light fixture with a new ceiling fan and light.

Cut Costs With a Programmable Thermostat

Achieving a balance with a warm home and a low heating bill can be a struggle. Upgrading to a programmable thermostat, however, can reduce heating costs by decreasing activity when you are not home. According to the EPA, a programmable thermostat can trim about $180 off your annual heating and cooling costs. In addition to saving on daily costs, you could potentially prolong the life of your unit. Manually adjusting the heat to a lower setting while you are gone, and cranking it up when you get home makes your heating system work extremely hard. A programmable thermostat can be set to slowly warm your home up in time for your arrival, making it easier on your heater.

Lay an Eco-Friendly Layer of Insulation

Feeling the shock of a cold floor isn’t the most pleasant feeling when you get up in the morning. Cork floors, however, are becoming a more popular option to install instead of traditional wood flooring. The cellular nature of cork allows it to store warmth and work as an insulator, making it one of the warmer flooring surfaces next to carpet. It is also super resilient, comfortable, versatile, and eco-friendly. Installing cork flooring is also easier to do than conventional wood flooring. Manufacturers offer cork flooring in engineered panels that easily snap together. Cork also sits well over plywood, concrete, or even existing flooring.

 

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