Winter Energy Savings
During the winter months, energy bills increase due to higher heating demands. More energy is needed to keep homes and businesses at a comfortable temperature. Decreased daylight hours mean more reliance on lighting, further raising bills. Colder temperatures also mean spending more time indoors and using lights and heating, driving costs up even more. However, there are things you can do to reduce your heating bills this winter.
Seal and Insulate Your Home
One of the best ways to lower your bills this winter is by properly sealing and insulating your home. Cold air can leak in through improperly sealed windows and doors. Inadequate insulation, especially in exterior walls, can also lead to higher energy bills as the system has to work longer and harder to keep temperatures up. Here are some ways to check your home or building for drafts.
Visual Inspection
Look for gaps, cracks, or holes around your doors and windows. Also, check the attic and basement for cracks, especially in the foundation. Finally, inspect anywhere pipes, cables, or wires enter the home.
Hand Test
Run your hand along anywhere you suspect cold air is coming in. You can also feel around walls to determine if they are properly insulated.
Candle or Incense Check
Light a candle or a stick of incense. Place it near, but not too close to, any doors, windows, etc., where cold air might be leaking in. If the flame flickers or the smoke reacts, you’ve likely found a gap. Draft detectors, which work on similar principles, are also available to buy or borrow from your local library.
Paper Test
Door and window frames can get worn or warp over time, causing gaps to form that allow cold air inside. To test your doors and windows for gaps, get a sheet of paper and close the door or window on it. If you can pull it out without much resistance, the seal is likely not tight enough.
Thermal Cameras
Thermal cameras allow you to detect cold spots quicker and more accurately. Check your local hardware store to buy or rent them. It is also possible to rent them online.
Adjusting Your Thermostat
Adjusting your thermostat even a few degrees lower can have a significant impact on your heating bills. On bright, sunny days, set the thermostat lower than you normally would, allowing the sun to warm the house. At night, set the thermostat even lower and use thick blankets and warm pajamas to keep yourself comfortable. Use the following settings on your thermostat as a guideline for when you are home, asleep, or away from the house.
At Home
Set your thermostat to around 68° F. This is generally comfortable enough for most people and will help keep your costs down.
Asleep
A temperature between 60° F and 65° F will help reduce energy consumption. Use thick blankets and warm pajamas if you feel it’s too cold. Avoid using space heaters, as those consume more electricity than your heating system and can actually drive up your heating bill.
Away from Home
If you’re gone from home for an extended period of time, set the temperature between 55° F and 60° F. This will reduce power consumption while keeping your pipes from freezing. If you’re away for a short amount of time (going to the grocery store, taking a walk, etc.), keep your settings the way they are. Bringing up the temperature of your house consumes more power than keeping it constant for short periods of time.
Using Ceiling Fans
Most people associate ceiling fans with hot summer days, but they are actually made to be used in the winter as well. Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the rotation of the blade. During the summer, you want the fan spinning counterclockwise, which draws cool air up, displacing warm air, and circulating the cooler air throughout the room. In the winter, set your fan to spin clockwise (you should feel a breeze coming down from the fan), which draws warm air down from the ceiling. This has many advantages.
Even Heat Distribution
Circulating the warm air throughout the room eliminates cold spots, especially in large rooms with high ceilings where warm air can get trapped.
Lower Thermostat Settings
Distributing the warm air like this means you can set your thermostat to a lower setting, saving you money on your heating bills. Even a lower setting of 1 or 2 degrees can lead to big savings.
Less Strain on Heating Systems
Even distribution reduces the need for costly maintenance. With better coverage, your system doesn’t have to strain itself to warm up your room, and less strain means less maintenance.
Faster Warm-ups
Ceiling fans can reduce the time it takes for a system to warm up a room by spreading the warm air faster than your heating system alone.
High Ceiling Rooms
Warm air naturally rises and can get trapped in high or vaulted ceiling rooms, meaning your heating system has to work that much harder to warm the room. Ceiling fans can bring that warm air down, reducing the strain on your system and your energy costs.
Let the Sun Do the Work
On sunny days, open your curtains and blinds on whichever side of the house the sun is shining. This allows the sun to warm the room naturally, allowing you to reduce or turn off your thermostat completely. Then, as the sun passes, close the curtains again, trapping that warm air inside the room. This simple practice can greatly reduce your dependence on your heating system, saving you money on both energy and maintenance expenses.
Close off Unused Rooms
Closing off unused rooms is a great way to start saving on electrical bills as quickly as possible. Guest rooms, unused office spaces, and spare rooms don’t need to be heated if they aren’t being used. Look around the base of the wall for a vent and there should be a switch or latch to close it. If there is no switch or latch, then it is a register and should not be closed. Registers allow your heating system to pull in air to circulate through the house, and blocking the register can cause your system to overheat.
Schedule Regular Furnace Maintenance
It’s important to schedule regular checkups for your furnace. It is recommended you have your heating system checked at least once a year, ideally right before winter sets in to ensure it is running efficiently. Those in extremely cold climates, living in large houses, or with older furnaces might also want to check it once more during the heating season to make sure the system is running properly. Failure to have your system properly maintained can lead to higher running costs and potential breakdowns that could cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars to repair.