Energy Insights: The 5 Energy Saving Tips You Need to Know for Fall
Fall is often rated as American’s favorite of all the seasons. While the fall season this year will certainly be different than those of the past and many of our annual traditions put on hold, what will remain the same is the cooler weather fall brings. Starting now to think about ways to help save on your monthly energy bill will help pay dividends when the cold of winter arrives.
Follow these tips to help save on energy this fall:
1. Keep your thermostat at or below 68 degrees
Regulating the temperature in your home is one of the most effective ways you can help save money on your monthly energy bill. Setting your thermostat at 68 degrees while you are at home or when going to bed at night can help your HVAC system work less and result in less energy consumption. The Department of Energy estimates that turning back your homes thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees can save up 10% on heating costs.
2. Open blinds and windows to let heat inside
Let mother nature help reduce those monthly energy bills. After the sun rises in the morning, be sure to open the blinds and drapes to let the sunlight in. The heat from the sun can help reduce how often your HVAC will need to run during the day. Don’t forget to close the blinds in the evening to help lock in the free heat.
3. Reverse the blades on ceiling fans
Ceiling fans aren’t just for keeping you cool in the summer, but they can also be handy for cooler weather. Reversing the direction of the ceiling fan blades to clockwise will push warm air back down. It will help redistribute the warm air from the heating system, ensuring pockets of cold air do not settle in the corners of each room. Just don’t forget when summer arrives next year to switch the direction back again.
4. Replace dirty clogged air filters
Clogged and dirty air filters can result in poor performance from your HVAC system this fall. Clogged air filters can reduce the airflow and put a significant strain on your HVAC. Remembering to change the air filters can be easy to forget. Our friends at FilterSnap can help with that. XOOM Energy customers save 10% off all online orders of air filters when visiting filtersnap.com/xoomenergy
5. Consider a humidifier for your home
The health benefits from a humidifier are very well known, but many don’t know the benefits they can provide for energy savings. Humidity helps keep the warm air trapped in a room and can help satisfy the thermostat for longer, resulting in the frequency of times the HVAC system will need to run.
