Welcome (back) to The Inspector’s Notebook—where practical insight meets long-term thinking. Whether you’re a longtime homeowner, a first-time buyer, or just someone who wants to better understand the place you live, this blog is here to help you see your home through a sharper lens. Our goal? Help you live smarter, safer, and more sustainably—without the noise.
What if I told you your home is quietly bleeding money? Not through theft or disaster—but through inefficiency.
Every flick of a light switch, every moment your furnace hums to life, and every unnoticed draft is part of a quiet equation most people never see. Fortunately, solving this equation doesn’t require massive lifestyle change—just awareness and small, strategic action.
Here are ten easy, proven ways to save money and energy in your home—backed by building science and wrapped in common sense.
1. Don’t Heat the Whole Neighborhood
Air leaks are silent budget thieves. Gaps around windows, doors, and attic hatches allow your heated or cooled air to escape. Seal them with weatherstripping or caulk. The best energy savings aren’t glamorous—they’re hidden in the details.
2. Let Your Thermostat Think for You
Programmable or smart thermostats reduce heating and cooling costs by adjusting to your schedule—even when you forget. Just a few degrees of difference can translate into real savings over time, without sacrificing comfort.
3. Rethink Water Heating
Tankless water heaters only heat what you use, when you use it. No more paying to keep 40 gallons warm while you’re at work. They cost more upfront, but pay for themselves in efficiency—especially in homes that use moderate to high amounts of hot water.
4. Change Your Bulbs, Change Your Bill
Incandescent bulbs are like tiny space heaters that also happen to give off light. LEDs, on the other hand, sip electricity while lasting 25 times longer. Replacing just a few high-use bulbs can lead to noticeable monthly savings.
5. Use Fans with Purpose
Ceiling fans don’t cool the air—they move it. In the summer, this helps you feel cooler at a higher thermostat setting. In the winter, reversing the blade direction circulates warm air downward. It’s physics working for you, not against you.
6. Insulate Like You Mean It
Most heat loss occurs through the attic and walls. If your insulation is sparse, compressed, or missing entirely in spots, your heating system has to work harder. More work means more fuel. More fuel means more money—out of your pocket.
7. Fix the Small Leaks
A dripping hot water faucet doesn’t just waste water—it wastes the energy used to heat that water. Low-flow fixtures and timely repairs reduce the loss at both ends of the equation.
8. Unplug the Energy Vampires
Devices plugged in but not in use still draw power. It’s called “phantom load.” Power strips with kill switches make it easy to cut the cord when you’re not actively using electronics.
9. Get Strategic with Landscaping
Deciduous trees can shade your home in summer and let in sunlight during the winter. Plant them on the west and south sides of your home and you’ll use less energy to control the temperature indoors—all through the natural rhythms of the seasons.
10. Get a Home Energy Audit
Want the blueprint? A professional energy audit will show you exactly where your home is underperforming and how to fix it. It’s not guesswork—it’s science applied to your walls, windows, ducts, and systems.
The Bottom Line
Your home is a machine. And like any machine, it works best when its parts are aligned, clean, and not working harder than they need to. Saving energy isn’t just good for your wallet—it’s a quiet form of resilience. A way to protect yourself from volatility. A step toward independence.
Efficiency isn’t just about using less—it’s about living smarter.
If you’d like help understanding where your home could be saving more, Green Mountain Property Inspections offers energy-aware home inspections and can connect you with trusted professionals. It all starts with seeing your home for what it is—and what it could be.
The Inspector's Notebook 
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