Keeping Warm While Saving Money

It costs to stay warm in the winter, but these energy saving tips can help you can stay comfortable while also saving money this year.

When the weather gets cold it can be a struggle to maintain the balance between comfort and energy savings. Fortunately, there are ways to stay warm while also saving some cash from the energy bills that tend to increase come wintertime.

Below is a comprehensive list of tips to help you achieve the best home temperature while saving money.

Properly Insulate Your Home

Nothing will drain your home of heat quicker than lack of insulation or leaks near doors and windows. For that reason, it’s important to make sure your home is sealed off to keep the warmth in and the cold out. Here are some tips to help you properly insulate your home:

• Seal drafts near doors and windows. Use caulk, weather stripping, or other forms of sealant to eliminate drafts from your doors and windows.
• Insulate attic and crawl spaces­. Optimize your home’s insulation by insulating the attic or crawl space. This will prevent outside air from interfering with your indoor temperatures.
• Seal your HVAC ductwork. Holes in your home’s ductwork can drain your system of the warm air leaving parts of your home colder than others. Get your ductwork sealed by a certified HVAC technician to help you reduce your energy bills.
• Use sunlight to your advantage. Opening the blinds on windows facing south will allow extra light and warmth into your home throughout the day.

Manage Your Thermostat to Increase Savings

Many people believe that setting your thermostat at one temperature and leaving it is the best option for energy savings. However, this is not true when your home is dormant for 8 hours or more. You could see added energy savings by turning down your thermostat while you’re at work or sleeping.  Here are some tips to help you manage your thermostat to increase savings:

• Keep thermostat as low as comfortable. The closer your indoor temperature is to the outdoor temperature, the less work your heater will have to do in order to heat your home. Doing this will add to your yearly energy savings.
• Lower temperature when not in use for 8 hours or more. While at work or sleeping turn down your thermostat by 10 degrees. For every degree you lower the thermostat, you seek to gain 1% in energy savings—so decreasing the temperature 10 degrees for periods of 8 hours or more will save you 10% during that time. That adds up over time!
• Maintain your heat system to ensure efficiency. If you haven’t performed seasonal HVAC maintenance or replaced air filters in your home then your system simply will not work to its full potential. This will not only cause your heater to work harder to maintain the temperature you desire, but will also increase your energy bill.
• Upgrade your thermostat to a smart or programmable thermostat. With a thermostat that you can program you can customize your temperature settings to automatically change at certain times of the day. That way you can enjoy energy savings throughout the month and only have to set your thermostat once!

Conserve Hot Water

Hot water is a must in wintertime, but maintaining the temperature of a water heater in cold weather can certainly drain your system. For that reason, make smart choices about managing your home’s hot water. Here’s some tip for conserving hot water:

• Lower the water heater temperature. Lower the water heater temperature to around 120 degrees. You’ll still have hot water but your system won’t have to work as hard keeping it at that temperature.
• Take shorter showers. A lot of hot water is used during a shower. Consider shortening your showers to conserve hot water and prevent your water heater from being overworked.
• Be aware of hot water use in household appliances. Hot water is also used in dishwashers and in your washing machine. Only run these appliances when you have a full load. For your washing machine you can also set the temperature to cold to conserve hot water.

Richmond’s Air offers tons of advice on how to save money and energy. If you’re interested in a home energy audit or in scheduling seasonal HVAC maintenance, contact Richmond’s Air today to schedule an appointment.