5 Tips for Saving Money and Energy This Holiday Season

When your car starts to build frost on it each morning or you are cranking up the thermostat in your home in the morning while getting ready for work – it usually means that winter has arrived and will be here for the next few months.  But this uptick in energy use also means an increase in money, not only spent on the holidays but on heating your home as well.  So what can you do to cut some costs and not have to dip into your budget for presents?  Here are some fairly easy changes to start energy and money today!

1. Invest in some power strips:by using a power strip for various appliances, electronics and lights, you can easily turn the whole power strip off when leaving for work or for a long weekend getaway in order to conserve energy and save money on your electric bill. There are even programmable options that can turn off automatically at night if there are items that you don’t need.
2. Turn down your thermostat: Save as much as 10% per yearon heating by turning your thermostat down 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day in the fall and winter. This can be easily done while you are at work and if there are concerns about animals in the house, place a few cozy blankets on couches or beds for them to curl up on.
3. Upgrade to more efficient equipment: If your heating system is more than 15 years old, is broken and repairs would cost more than half the cost of replacing it or if your heating system is very inefficient, consider replacing your existing heating system. By just upgrading to a newer system you can reduce energy use by up to 20% or more!
4. Utilize the sun, it’s a free heating source: The sun is your biggest asset so use it while it’s in the sky! Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home.  Then at night, close them to reduce the chill you may feel from windows.
5. Insulate & lower the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees: This is still a warm setting but not scalding, plus you can also insulate your hot water heater in order to retain the heat.  This will help you to save money and energy on heating water.

There are so many small things you can do in order to save money this winter on home heating costs.  Make sure to schedule an appointment with your heating service technicians to see what other options are available for keeping more money in your pocket this winter.

Give us a call today for your next heating service! (610) 434-5195