How to Lower Electric Bills in Winter
With winter in full swing, homeowners across Michigan are looking for winter energy saving tips to help reduce their energy bills. And, since heating costs account for nearly 30% of your utility bills, it stands to reason that many of the ways to save focus on reducing HVAC-related energy consumption. So, let’s take a look at five easy tips that can help you save money during the cold winter months.
5 Energy Saving Tips
1. Install a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat can reduce your heating bill by automatically adjusting inside temperatures when your home isn’t in use. For example, you can lower the temperature a few degrees while you’re away at work, on vacation, or sleeping. As an added bonus, these thermostats can even track your energy usage and provide useful reports to help eliminate further energy waste.
2. Use Your Ceiling Fan
It may sound counterintuitive, but running your ceiling fan in the winter can help you stay warm by pushing warm air down. Since heat rises, a lot of warmth is lost as heated air rises and cold air sinks into the lower levels of your home. But, your ceiling fan can help you conserve energy by forcing hot air to stay where it’s needed the most.
3. Maintain Your Furnace
We’ve said it before in other posts, but it’s incredibly important to have your furnace inspected and change its air filter. Your heating costs can be impacted by a number of mechanical failures, all of which wreak havoc on energy efficiency. So, to be sure that you’re not using more energy than necessary, you should schedule an annual tune-up for your heating system.
4. Seal Air Leaks
If your home is drafty, you can help to prevent heat loss by using weather stripping, replacing insulation, and ensuring tight seals on your home’s doors and windows. Additionally, you can close curtains to help prevent drafts that could displace the warmth you’re trying to retain.
5. Keep Unused Rooms Open
One surefire way to overwork your HVAC system is to close off unused rooms. It’s a common misconception that you’ll reduce energy consumption by sealing off rooms you don’t use. Since it forces your furnace blower to work harder and restricts airflow through the ductwork system, this can actually result in higher utility bills and can even cause damage to your HVAC system.
Rising Energy Costs and Electricity Bills
As energy bills soar during the colder months, it’s crucial to be proactive. Rather than relying on space heaters or (worse yet) leaving the oven door open, you should try to reduce your energy usage and trap heat that your HVAC system has already generated. And, of course, there are a number of energy efficient upgrades that you can leverage to optimize your HVAC system, such as ENERGY STAR-certified heat pumps, advanced air filtration, and duct sealing.
Need Help Reducing Your Energy Usage?
At R.W. LaPine, we’ve built the most experienced team of HVAC technicians in Kalamazoo, MI. With decades of experience and a proven track record delivering results, we can work with you to maintain your furnace, save energy, and reduce your utility bills. So, whether you need to schedule regular maintenance, emergency repairs, or a whole-house HVAC inspection, reach out to us today!