5 Ways To Save Energy and Money During Winter
While energy usage can be high during the heating months, that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to keep your home comfortable. There are many energy saving tips you can take to help curb energy costs in the winter. Following are some of them.
5 Smart Energy Saving Tips
- Program your thermostat. When you’re home, keep the thermostat set to the lowest temperature that still feels comfortable to you. At night and when you’re gone, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends reducing the temperature by 10-15 degrees. Doing so for an eight-hour period can result in about a 10 percent reduction in your annual bills.
- Add caulk and weatherstripping where it’s needed. Find any areas where air is escaping and seal them up to avoid wasting your heated air. You can also add heavy-duty plastic sheets or clear plastic film over your windows to help lock in the warmth.
- Use the sun’s “free” warming abilities wisely. During the day, open up your blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house so the sun’s warm rays can heat your home naturally. Once it starts getting dark outside, close them back up.
- Lower the temperature on your water heater. Between 14 and 25 percent of your home’s total energy expenditure can be attributed to water heater use. Reduce the temperature to 120 degrees to save energy while still having water that’s plenty hot enough for household needs..
- Keep your heating system well maintained, so it’s functioning as efficiently and safely as possible. This means scheduling annual service appointments; your HVAC contractor can let you know what kind of homeowner maintenance is needed to keep your furnace or heat pump running smoothly. At the very least, you should change the HVAC filter monthly, or as often as recommended.
To learn more about energy saving tips and other home comfort topics, please contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We’ve been serving Orlando and Central Florida since 1969.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about winter energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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