Do you want to save money? Read on to know how to save home thermal energy in order to reduce your electricity consumption thus reducing your expenditure on energy bills. Eighty percent of your income goes to your household expense and a large expense is due to your heating bill. With the recent increase of utility bills everyone is interested to know on how to save home thermal energy. Shocking energy bills every month is the result of excessive or improper use of electricity at home. One of the issues in home energy saving is the way we use heat. So, how can you save home thermal energy?

This is a huge challenge for all homeowners yet there are improvements you can do at home to realize this. Here are numerous ways to save home thermal energy through effective, low cost and effortless home improvements.

The word home improvement can cause panic attack to some homeowners. Well, yes home improvements do cost money. However, there are things you can do that will not ruin your budget to improve on the way that your home utilizes energy. These will take a little effort and initiative but the savings can be significant. One of the most usual ways that a house wastes energy is through escaping heat. Many homes have drafts that let cold air in during the winter making it more difficult and expensive for you to heat your place. Heat will escape due to drafts. A simple solution to saving home thermal energy here is to do some checking in your home and figure out where those drafts are coming from. Place your hand around the edges of your doors and windows to check. If you feel chilly air coming in contact on your hand, you’ve got a draft. Once you have found where the draft is coming from, grab your filler or sealant and apply in any cracks or crevices on window frames, floors or floor boards with a filler or sealant.

Another way to save home thermal energy is to turn down your thermostat. Turning down your thermostat down one degree will save your energy consumption up to 5-7 percent. Keep in mind that with the difference of one degree, you will not notice the temperature difference. You can also save on your home thermal energy expense by not heating rooms you are not using. If you live in a two story apartment or house and your bedrooms are located on the second floor and the ground is controlled by its own thermostat, turn off the thermostat on the other floor which you are not using while you sleep.

Home thermal energy is a necessity but if not used properly it can be very costly and can eat up your budget. As the economy continues to struggle, people are looking for ways to save money. Clipping coupons, finding a second job, selling unused personal stuff and being energy efficient. If you can efficiently use home thermal energy it can reap much needed savings for those struggling to make ends meet. It is not only beneficial to you but also to the environment saving it from the greenhouse effect.

If you have got all the plans approved and have drawn up the approximate costs for your home improvement project, you need to start thinking about how to finance the project. Any minor improvements can be funded by a credit card or savings but a major improvement, like an extension or a loft conversion requires a large chunk of money. There are various ways of getting this money. One such method is the home improvement loan. This article will cover how a home improvement loan works and some things to consider before you go for one.

Getting an home improvement loan depends on the type of modification or renovation you are planning. If, for example your home is an old building it may be eligible for a restoration grant. The same might apply in certain parts of the country where you plan to install solar powered energy panels. Check this out at your local town planning offices first, it could save you money on any other loans you take out.

After that, there are a few other home improvement loan options available.

The simplest is probably a standard unsecured loan. This is just like a personal loan that you take out for other things you need, like a car or white goods. Criteria for this type of loan might include things like your salary, your credit score or your ability to pay the monthly repayment installments.

Other types of loans revolve around securing the debt of the loan around the house that you are renovating. You can renegotiate the mortgage with your current lender. They will probably give you the money at the current rate of the existing mortgage . You will be negotiating altering the term of the loan or the amount for the repayments.

A note on this is that you can often renegotiate the mortgage if you have shopped around before hand and know that you can get a better deal elsewhere in terms of interest rate (or other criteria that you feel are important – a payment holiday for example).

If you have equity in the house you can draw down on this equity to fund the renovation. The equity can be in the form of a lump sum or a line of credit (whereby you can effectively use the equity as a credit card and take out money when you need it).

When going for these types of loans, it helps to know what is involved in the home improvement. Will it be completed in stages ? In this case you probably want a line of credit or a loan where the lender releases the amount in chunks. This will save you money over time as you are not paying interest back on one lump sum that may just be sitting in your account.

You may also choose to refinance your home loan completely if you can find a better rate. This has the advantage that you get a better rate or conditions that will save on monthly repayments and you can draw on the equity in the property.

When taking a loan secured by the property, lenders want to see that the improvements will add more value to the property than the loan itself. They will want to know the new value of the house after the improvement and the cost of doing the improvement. A real estate agent can give you an indication of the added value. In terms of the costs, get a few quotes from builders or a break down on the materials if you are doing the renovation yourself.