When It’s Cold Outside:
Winter months often produce the highest energy bills of the year. As the temperature drops, the cost to heat your home increases. By being proactive about saving energy, you can increase the comfort of your home and reduce monthly bills. Here are a few cost-effective ways to reduce your energy usage during cold weather.
- Mind the thermostat. This is one of the easiest ways to manage your home energy use.
- We recommend setting your thermostat to 68 degrees (or lower) when you are home.
- When you’re sleeping or away for an extended period of time, try setting it between 58 and 62 degrees; there’s no need to heat your home when you’re away or sleeping and less active.
- Remember: Turning off your central heat system and using space heaters does not save money.
- Keep your heating system healthy.
- Have your furnace or heat pump serviced annually by a professional.
- Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump monthly.
- Be sure your HVAC air vents (inflow and out) are clean and not blocked by furniture objects.
- Be sure duct work is not loose in attics or crawl spaces. This would result in a loss of heat and the unit running continuously.
- Button up your home.
- The Department of Energy estimates that air leaks account for 24% to 40% of the energy used for heating and cooling a home.
- Caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors is another simple, cost-effective way to increase comfort and save energy.
- If you can feel drafts while standing near a window or door, it likely needs to be sealed!
- Insulate your attic and any unheated crawl spaces beneath your house.
Use window coverings.
- Open blinds, drapes, or other window coverings during the day to allow natural sunlight in to warm your home.
- Close them at night to keep the cold, drafty air out.
- If you feel cold air around windows, consider hanging curtains or drapes in a thicker material; heavier window coverings can make a significant difference in blocking cold outdoor air.
- Monitor your appliance use. When combined, appliances and electronics account for a significant chunk of our home energy use, so assess how efficiently you’re using them.
- If you are running the dishwasher or clothes washer, only wash full loads.
- Look for electronic devices that consume energy even when the device is not in use, like phone chargers or game consoles. Every little bit helps, so unplug them to save energy.
- See our Appliances page for additional tips.
- Keep your toes toasty. Feet play a critical role in regulating body temperature, so when your feet are warm, your body automatically feels warmer.
- Try a pair of comfortable wool socks or house slippers to stay toasty.
- Area rugs can also provide extra insulation and a warm surface for your feet on cold winter days. Use large area rugs in rooms where you spend the most time. You’ll enjoy the new colors and textures of the rug, and the additional warmth will help keep your home comfortable.
- Watch your water heater.
- Set water heater temperature no higher than 120°F.
- Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in 1 year or less.
When the Weather Outside is Hot:
As the temperature increases, the cost to cool your home increases. Here are a few cost-effective ways to reduce your energy usage during hot weather.
- Mind the thermostat.
- Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer.
- The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be (75° F suggested).
- Let your windows help.
- During the months of the year when it cools off at night, turn off your cooling system and open your windows.
- In the morning, shut the windows to capture the cool air.
- Close window treatments against the heat of the sun.
- Shade your home.
- Where practical, plant trees and shrubs that provide shade in warm months and sunlight in winter.
- In addition to the aesthetic value, well-placed trees can take heat gain from the sun and provide needed shade by creating a canopy for the house.
Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.
- Using a ceiling fan in conjunction with your air conditioning can allow you to increase the thermostat setting to approximately four degrees with no reduction in comfort levels.
- Remember to turn the ceiling fan off when you leave a room.
- Shine a light on savings.
- Install efficient lighting that runs cooler.
- Only about 10 to 15% of the electricity consumed by incandescents results in light – the rest becomes heat.
- Learn about efficient lighting with this Consumer Guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting (PDF).
- Minimize activities that generate a lot of heat.
- Activities such as running a computer, burning open flames, running a dishwasher, and using hot devices such as curling irons or hair dryers.
- Even stereos and televisions will add some heat to your home.
- On hot days, avoid using the oven; cook on the stovetop, in a microwave, or on a grill outside.