Energy Insights: 5 Simple Changes You Can Make Today to Help Reduce Your Winter Energy Bills
When the weather outside is cold, nothing feels better than walking into your warm and toasty home. But did you know that heating your home uses more energy than any other system or appliance and can be the costliest part of your monthly energy bill? According to the U.S Department of Energy, heating your home in the winter typically makes up around 42% of your energy bill.
The good news is with a few quick and easy changes, you can help make your home more energy-efficient and help take the chill out of those winter energy bills.
1. Adjust the water temperature
Heating water for your home can consume a lot of energy. The U.S Department of Energy recommends setting your water heater’s thermostat at 120 degrees for both energy-efficiency and safety purposes. Water temperatures above 120 degrees can be dangerous. It is estimated that you can save up to 3 to 5 percent on your monthly energy bills for every 10-degrees you reduce the thermostat on your hot water heater.
2. Regularly Change Your Air Filters
It can be easy to forget but replacing your home’s air filters every month can be a great way to help reduce energy cost. Changing out your air filters regularly can lower energy consumption by up to 15%. When the air filters become dirty and clogged it requires your home’s heating system to run longer and work harder. Not only can that lead to higher energy bills but can result in costly repairs.
3. Install Door Sweeps
Drafty doors allow warm air to exit your home and cold air to enter. You can stop these air leaks by installing door sweeps at the bottom of your exterior doors. Installing door sweeps can be one of cheapest and easiest ways to help save on energy during the winter.
4. Switch Ceiling Fans to Rotate Counter-Clockwise
Ceiling fans are a great way to help keep cool in the summer, but they can also help keep your home warm in the winter. Most ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to change the rotation of the blades. Changing the blades to move counter-clockwise will help push the warmer air near the ceiling down towards the floor to help keep rooms warmer.
5. Open and Close Your Curtains
During the day be sure to keep the curtains open to any south-facing windows. This will allow sunlight to enter these rooms and help create some free solar heating. At night be sure to close all the curtains in your home to help reduce the chill that might come from cold windows.
