10 Energy Saving Tips
These energy saving tips can help you save money during the cold months.
It’s starting to cool down, finally! It even hit the 30s overnight once or twice so it’s time to talk about fall energy saving tips. There are a lot of little things you can do around your home to help you lower your heating bill and even reduce wear and tear on your heating system. It’s really the perfect time of the year to make sure your home is winter ready even if you haven’t given a second thought to turning on the heat yet. These energy-saving tips will keep your home running efficiently and also make your home more comfortable.
1. Locate and Stop Drafts
One of the easiest (and fastest) ways you can save energy is to add, replace, or increase weatherstripping around gaps in your home. The areas around windows, doors, and places where utilities enter your house are likely sources of cold drafts. It is important to note that not all weatherstripping is alike. You’ll need to choose the right types for each area you’re working on (garage door weatherstripping vs. window weatherstripping).
2. Lower Your Thermostat
Running your heating system less often will save energy, so setting your thermostat at a lower temperature will help ensure that your system powers on less often. We recommend keeping your thermostat between 68 and 70 degrees during the day. For even more savings you can lower it further at night. Of course many people forget to lower their thermostats at night so investing in a programmable or smart thermostat may help you. The thermostat will adjust the temperature according to the schedule that you set.
3. Use Your Curtains
The sun is an incredible source of heat, even during the cold months. Harnessing the sun’s energy in simple ways can help you lower your heating bill. Open curtains and drapes when the sun shines through your windows to let the heat in. Did you know that solar heat that enters through a well-insulated window can raise the temperature in a room by several degrees? Conversely you’ll want to close your curtains tightly at night to keep that heat inside your house.
4. Inspect Your Furnace
It’s important to have a licensed HVAC professional inspect your furnace regularly. THis allows you to address any issues before they become a problem, preventing things like a middle-of-the-night breakdown in freezing weather. HVAC inspections, filter changes, and duct cleaning keep your system running efficiently all year. Dirty ducts and clogged filters make your furnace work harder to heat your home. Turning the heat on can be a great reminder to replace your filters. They’re relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
5. Unblock Vents
Check around your home to make sure air can flow freely from your vents. This is something many people often overlook. Furniture or drapes that block vents waste energy by preventing heat from freely entering the room and circulating. If you can’t completely unblock them, you may consider vent extenders that direct air from vents under sofas or behind drapes out into the room.
6. Adjust Your Water Heater
No list of energy saving tips would be complete without mentioning the hot-water heater. You can check the temperature setting to make sure it isn’t set too high. For most people, temperatures between 110 and 120 degrees are plenty hot enough for washing dishes and bathing. You might also want to consider adding an insulating blanket around your hot-water heater. You can pick one up at your local home improvement store in a variety of shapes and sizes to easily fit around your unit to hold in heat.
7. Evaluate Your Insulation
If you haven’t checked your insulation in a few years it’s a great time to do it. Many people are surprised to find out that insulation wears out. Over time it settles and loses the air pockets that make it effective. Adding to or replacing existing material can help you with attic insulation cost savings that make your entire home more efficient and comfortable year round.
8. Reverse Ceiling Fan Direction
Improving the circulation of heat is another simple way to reduce your heating bill. Did you know that your ceiling fans should turn a different way in the summer than in the winter? Warm air rises, making the warmest air in the room near the ceiling. This is great to help keep you cool in the summer. Conversely, changing your fan directions in the winter can help keep you warmer! Adjust the fan to run clockwise at a low speed to draw cold air up from the floor. As it flows upward, it will push the warmer air out toward your walls and down into your living space.
9. Check for Fireplace Drafts
Your fireplace could be a source of cold drafts more often than a source of heat! The chimney and flue open to the outside and can be a major source of lost heat. Rising heat could rush up through your chimney and out of your home. Stopping this heat loss can help you lower your heating costs. Repair a loose or damaged damper so your chimney will not suck heat from your room. Keep it closed when you don’t have a fire. Adding glass doors over your fireplace opening will let you enjoy the fire and its heat, while preventing warm room air from going up the chimney. You can also cover the fireplace opening when you’re not using it to put a stop to any drafts.
10. Use Smart LED Lights
Replacing inefficient incandescent light bulbs with smart LED lights that use far less energy can save you money. When you connect them to smart home systems that automate their operation, you could see further cost savings. Did you know that smart lighting can be used with holiday decorations to ensure you are making the most efficient use of electricity in your home?
Hopefully these tips will give you some ideas on how to cut your energy bill as the days get colder. As always we wish you the best and are here if you need us.
