During the cold winter months, we tend to rely on our heating systems more. Even our lights get more use as the days get shorter. It’s easy for those months to become costly to our energy bills. Fortunately, much of that increased cost is pretty easy to offset. Your Wiretech team is here to help with a list of simple ways you can boost your home’s energy efficiency during the winter season.
- Control Your Holiday Lighting. One of the major cost boosters during the winter are holiday lights! People are putting up lighted decorations in windows, on lawns, on rooftops and gutters. Christmas trees are shining like beacons in peoples’ living rooms. To reduce the impact of those lights on your bills, be sure to use LED-based light strings and ornaments. In addition, invest in time or motion sensitive controls for your lights, so they won’t be on when not needed.
- Get a Programmable Thermostat. Especially helpful if your current thermostat is already old and outdated. The latest thermostats can be programmed to manage your home heating systems to save energy while you’re not home, and automatically turn it back up before your return.
- Lower Your Water Heater. This is a huge benefit to your energy consumption if you happen to go on vacation during the winter; lowering the water heater will reduce a major source of energy output. Even if it’s just for a few days, it can yield major savings.
- Upgrade or Seal Your Windows. A major cause of lost heat and wasted energy is air leaking through gaps around windows and doors. If your windows haven’t been replaced in a while, consider giving them an upgrade. If they’re still fairly new, or replacements are outside the budget, it’s worth it to have them inspected and resealed where necessary. In making these changes, people sometimes overlook their doors, which can be the worst offender. Give your door the same treatment and it will really boost your energy efficiency.
- Power Strips Save Time and Energy. A common guidance you’ll see regarding energy saving is to turn off and unplug electronics when not in use. This is great advice, but sometimes it can feel like a hassle going all over the house turning everything off. A few power strips in areas where multiple appliances are close will mean you can just flip one switch and turn off most or all of a room at once.
- Ceiling Fans. You probably didn’t think your ceiling fan could be much use in the winter, but you’d be surprised. One of the most important things you need for energy efficiency is good airflow, and ceiling fans are superb for controlling airflow. Normally, they turn counter-clockwise, pulling hot air up and away. But if you set your fan to turn clockwise and run it at a low setting, it will help keep warm air down, with you, during the winter.
Interested in other ways you can save on your energy bill during the winter, or year round? We can help! Contact us today to learn more about our services.