Your Guide to Saving Energy in Your North Shore Chicago Home This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has arrived on Chicago's North Shore! It's time to start prepping your turkey, setting your holiday table and welcoming friends and family inside for the big Thanksgiving feast. But as you begin to bake and roast and sauté the long weekend away, there are a few adjustments you may like to make in order to keep energy costs down.

As your North Shore real estate expert, I'm sharing the following five tips for saving energy in your Winnetka, Glencoe, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Northbrook area home this Thanksgiving:

Keep the oven door closed
You may be tempted to peek in on your pumpkin pie time and time again, but every time you open that oven door, the temperature is reduced by as much as 25 degrees! Instead, consider using the oven light and you may just find you're able to plate your feast just a little sooner.

Turn down the heat
All of your holiday baking and cooking over the next few days will put off more heat than you know in your North Shore home. Head to the thermostat to turn down the temperature as your oven will do the job of warming up your guests and you can save on energy costs!

Use glass or ceramic pans
Did you know that these types of dishes retain heat so well that they will continue to cook your food even after they're out of the oven? By sticking to these when preparing your Thanksgiving meal, you can turn down your oven by up to 25 degrees and still see the same results!

Install a dimmer switch
You will likely be spending many hours in your Winnetka, Glencoe, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Northbrook area dining room this holiday season, so consider installing a dimmer switch on the main light fixture. This is an inexpensive project and can double the light bulb's lifespan just by dimming its brightness by 10 percent!

Use the dishwasher
Did you know that hand-washing your dishes uses more water than your dishwasher? Stick to hand-washing only the dishes that cannot be placed in the dishwasher and always make sure you have a full load before pressing start on that wash cycle. You can also leave the door open to let your dishes air dry and save the energy used during the heat cycle.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And as always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions about buying or selling a home on Chicago's North Shore!

Janie Bress
Your North Shore Real Estate Expert

North Shore Real Estate
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5 Easy Ways to Prepare Your North Shore Home for Thanksgiving

As I mentioned in my past blog post, North Shore homeowners should not wait until after the holiday season is over to list their homes. It is indeed a busy season, but there is one more thing you need to get a head start on— preparing your home for guests!

If you will be opening your home to friends and family in Glencoe, Winnetka, Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield or the surrounding areas this Thanksgiving, keep these five easy tasks in mind that will save you later as you welcome the holiday hustle and bustle inside.

Clean the silverware

Thanksgiving is a holiday built around feasting, so take some time to clean the silverware. Instead of chemicals to make them shine, try placing them in a pot of water, salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then place the silverware into warm, soapy water. Each piece should clean up nicely with a bit of scrubbing. 

Dust ceiling fans and blades

Your living spaces in your North Shore home are one place you'll want to focus on this holiday season. Clean the windows and reach up high to dust ceiling fans and blades. You may find your home getting warmer as more people gather inside and if you haven't checked your fan recently, turning it on may spread the dust around. Slide each fan blade into a pillowcase and wipe clean; this traps the dust inside instead of pushing it into the air.

Think about your guests

Go over your guest list for Thanksgiving. Will you have small children in attendance? You may like to childproof the areas of your home where they will be spending the most time— living room, dining room and bedrooms. Use outlet caps to keep little fingers out, move electrical cords out of reach and consider blocking off stairways with a gate.

Test the heating system

The holidays do tend to bring colder weather to the North Shore and if you haven't had your HVAC system inspected, now is the time to do so. You can even go a step farther to test where airflow is heaviest and lightest in your home by closing vents in rooms you don't often use. 

Clean your oven

There is no harm in cleaning your oven with a bit of baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar, but avoid self-cleaning the oven at all costs. Self-cleaning increases the risk of the oven breaking, blowing a fuse or thermostat and putting a damper on your holiday cooking plans.

I wish you a happy Thanksgiving, whether you're staying put here on the North Shore or traveling for the holiday. As always, feel free to reach out for more information about buying a home or selling your current property.

The fall and winter are great times to make a move!

Janie Bress
Your North Shore Real Estate Expert

North Shore Real Estate
View North Shore Listings
Visit My Website

Local Expert... with National Connections!

Locally or across the country, think of me as your national connection. I can help you with all your real estate needs anywhere in the United States.