Winter officially begins in just over a month, but winter weather is already here! With temperates in the 40s the last few days, you’ve probably already started turning on the heater, pulling out the blankets and dreading the increase in your upcoming energy bills.
By reducing your energy use this winter, you can, in turn, lower your energy bills
We’ve collected some interesting ways to help you save. Check out our top 10 ways to save on your energy bills below:
- Use your ceiling fans: Yeah, it sounds weird, but turning your ceiling fan on low will help to gently push down the hot air and improve the ventilation in your home. Most fans have a switch to change the direction of fan’s rotation. Switch your fan to turn in a clockwise direction to draw down the hot air that naturally rises to the ceiling.
- The sun is FREE heat: Open the curtains or blinds on the south-facing side of your home during the day to draw in heat from the sun and close them at night to keep the heat inside.
- Adjust the thermostat at night: If you don’t mind bundling up at night (maybe with some flannel sheets and comforters), you can save up to 10% on your heating bill each year by turning down the thermostat 10-15 degrees for 8 hours.
- Use a humidifier: The air inside your home can become very dry. Moist air naturally feels warmer and hold heat better, so a well-placed humidifier can help you feel warmer with the thermostat down a few degrees lower than usual.
- Seal openings around the house: You can imagine money just leaking out of your house if your home isn’t well insulated around your windows and doors. We suggest starting with foam weather stripping to help seal these openings.
- Invest in a programmable thermostat: Similar to the concept mentioned in #3, turning down the thermostat when not necessary is a HUGE way to save. If there’s no need to warm an empty house when you’re away, then a programmable thermostat can help you save in the long run. Many new smart thermostats can even be controlled remotely, so if someone is returning home early, you can turn up the heat before they arrive.
- Insulate your house well: This is a fairly easy DIY project if you have access to crawl spaces and attic areas in your home. With some well-placed insulation around pipes, for example, you can save on your water bill. Warmer pipes means it takes less time for your water to heat, which wastes less water while you are waiting for that shower to heat up.
- Maintain those filters: When was the last time you replaced that furnace filter? Yeah, that’s we thought. You’ll not only improve the flow of warm around the house, but also save money by keeping up with filter cleaning and furnace maintenance.
- Go LED with those holiday decorations: LED lights are very efficient pieces of technology. Although more expensive than traditional lighting, LED lights are proven to last far longer and use much less energy.
- Visit your energy supplier’s website: Visit your local utility company’s website and you’ll often be surprised to see rebates, programs to help you save money and ways to sign up for free or low-cost energy audits.
If you know of any other methods to save, be sure to share them with us in the comments below. We love helping our customers save money and live better.
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