December 20, 2013

Piscopo: 5 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill This Winter

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5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill This Winter

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

With the cold weather upon us, I wanted to share with you some tips for keeping your energy costs down this winter:

1. Insulate your home from the outside
Insulating your home from the outside can help keep heat in your house. Filling cracks in your home’s exterior will give you savings on your energy bill. Investing in new weather strips to place around doorways and windows will make sure that a strong seal is created, allowing less air to escape. Also, installing plastic coverings around window panes will create a stronger barrier, keeping cold air out and hot air in. Detect any holes or cracks you may have around your windows and use caulk or expanding foam to seal them.

2. Cover drafts
Certain surfaces in your home can hold more heat than others, including any cloth or carpeted surface. If your house has lots of hardwood flooring, put down a few area rugs to help insulate the inside. Also, to trap warm air, use a draft guard to put under inside doors. When there’s natural sunlight streaming through, leave your curtains open to harness natural sunlight and heat. After sunset keep your curtains closed, to create a barrier for warm air trying to escape outdoors.

3. Use your fans
Most ceiling fans have a reverse function, which switches rotation for winter months. A ceiling fan on a low setting can help keep warm air circulating, making your house feel cozier without having to turn up your thermostat higher. Ensure blades are rotating clockwise, as it helps the air rise and circulate. Try to use your kitchen and bathroom vents as little as possible as they pull the heated air out of your house very quickly.

4. Lower your thermostats
Lower your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees before you leave for work. Also, turn down the thermostat before you go to bed. Every degree below 70 that you keep your heat at will reduce your energy by 3 percent. Consistently turning down your heat while you’re sleeping or out of the house could result in as much as a 14 percent reduction in your monthly bill.

5. Service your furnace
Annual servicing of your furnace is an important part of keeping your heating bill low. Change old filters, as dirty ones will make your furnace do more work to heat the house. Also, take time to clean vents out so warm air can flow easier and not get trapped.