subject: Saving Energy During The Winter [print this page] During the winter, you may be faced with a lot of expenses including your higher energy bill. However, there are many ways in which you can save money on your energy bill.
During the wintertime, you may find your energy bill jumping and then soaring above the height of your summer bills. There are many ways you can lower your energy bill, even during the winter.
The first thing you will want to make sure you do if you want to lower your energy bill is turn off the heat whenever everyone leaves the house. It can be helpful to invest in a programmable thermostat so that the heat will automatically turn off when you leave for work in the morning and turn on when you come home from work at night.
It is very easy to forget to turn off the heat when you leave the house, but with a programmable thermostat you will not have to remember. You may be surprised at how much this can save you on your energy bill.
If you decide not to get a programmable thermostat, you may want to leave yourself a note on the door so that you will remember more often to turn off the heat. In addition, if you have responsible teenagers at home, you will want to show them how to turn on and off the heat so that when they leave they can help you save money as well.
The second thing you may want to do to save money on your energy bills is to seal all of the air leak that may exist in your exterior walls, doors, and windows. Either caulk the holes or use weather stripping on the door.
This will allow less cold air to enter your home and less heat to escape. The best way to check to see if there is a crack is to light an incense stick and hold it near the potential crack.
If the flame move in towards or away from the opening you will know that there is a breeze coming through that needs to be closed up. Homes can be large and there may be a lot of cracks that need to be closed, but this can save you a lot of money.
Your air ducts may also leak out heat which will also increase your energy bill. There are companies that you can hire to come out and test your ducts to see if your ducts are leaking hot air.
If there are leaks, these companies can also fix them for you. These companies are usually called 'duct sealing' or 'duct testing' companies.
The third thing that you should do is make sure that your attic is insulated. Some attics are left un-insulated because they are often unused.
However, this provides a huge hole for the heat in your home to escape out of. If your attic, exterior wall, or crawl spaces are not insulated, make sure they become insulated right away and you will save a lot of money on your monthly bill.
The fourth thing you may want to do to save money is to place plastic film over the inside of the windows. This will improve the insulation of your windows tremendously.
You can purchase plastic film at most home improvement stores and it is not too expensive. If you have doubts about the windows, stand in front of one at night and you will probably be able to feel a cold breeze coming through.
The fifth thing you may want to do is change the furnace filters regularly. This will improve the efficiency of your heater.
These filters should generally be changed every one to three months. The more efficient your heater is, the more heat will warm your house and the less will be lost in the heater which will allow you to turn down your thermostat without lowering the level of heat in your home.
The sixth thing you will probably want to make sure you do is close the fireplace or wood stove dampers when you are not using them. This will help prevent air leakage and intrusion as well as conserve the heat.
The seventh thing you may want to do is install low-flow shower-heads and faucets aerators to conserve hot water usage. In addition, you can set timers on the shower to only five minutes which will save you time as well as money on your energy bill.
The eighth thing you may want to do is change all of your light bulbs to fluorescents. Fluorescent light bulbs have a much longer life span, give off brighter light, and use much less energy than other kinds of light bulbs.
They also fit into any socket that normal light bulb would be placed in. In addition, you can select different sizes and styles to match your light fixture.
