Fall and winter hold some of the best holidays the year has to offer, but they can also be especially hard on your wallet. After prepping for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day, worrying about your rising heating bills is the last thing you want to worry about. To help out, the folks at Precision Heating & Air have compiled a list of the 10 easiest ways to save energy — and money — this season.
Use Southern Exposure to Your Advantage
Throughout the year the Earth wobbles on its axis. This means the sun’s placement in the sky will appear to shift as the month progress. During the colder months, if you live in the northern hemisphere as we do in Georgia, the sun will start to shine on your home from the south. Take advantage of this by opening the curtains to southern-exposure rooms and closing them in rooms that don’t get as much sunlight. This will allow your house to heat naturally and prevent it from letting heat escape.
Adjust the Temperature
Keeping your temperature lower in the fall and winter reduces the energy your heater uses to keep your house warm, but did you know that lowering the temperature in your house by 10-15° Fahrenheit at night can reduce your energy usage by about 10%? Grab some flannel sheets and drop the temperature to save significantly.
Keep Fireplace Damper Closed
When your fireplace isn’t in use, make sure to keep the damper closed. Leaving the damper open allows the heat your furnace puts out to be sucked right out of your house.
Lower the Temperature of Your Water Heater
It’s safe to say that most of us don’t require boiling water to shower or wash our hands. Lowering the temperature that your water is set to head to is a great way to reduce energy usage, especially when you don’t need the water to get that hot.
Use LED Holiday Lights
If you like to go all out for the holidays, try switching out your old lights for some LED strands. LED lights use roughly 20 times fewer kilowatts/hour than incandescent lights.
Get a Humidifier
A humidifier works to make the air moister, something cold air is not known for. Moist air retains much more heat than cold air. This can also help to combat dry and cracked skin and sinuses caused by the cold winter air.
Maintain Heating Systems
Making sure your existing heating system is working properly and that the filters are clean is essential to keeping your home warm for less. By maintaining your heating system, you’re making sure it doesn’t have to work harder than necessary to keep your house at the temperature you’ve chosen.
Only Heat the Rooms You Use
If you have a larger house, or only use part of the house, it’ll help to seal off air vents and close doors to rooms that you don’t use. Heating extra space that doesn’t get used requires more energy and will cost more in the long run.
Layer Up
You may love summer but fall and winter require their wardrobe. Keeping your house at temperatures that allow you to wander around in shorts and a t-shirt can hurt your wallet. Put on some extra layers and drop your thermostat’s temperature to save energy and money.
Insulate
You might have the most powerful heater on the market, but if your house isn’t retaining the heat, you’ll be wasting tons of energy attempting to heat the outdoors. Insulation is your house’s version of layering. Investing in a high-quality product and making sure there are no gaps are great ways to reduce your energy consumption.
Give Precision Heating & Air a Call
For more information on heating and air solutions, give us a call at (770) 758-4552 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a service call.
