Fall is in full swing, and the weather is starting to cool down. With the change of seasons, now is the perfect time to prepare your home to save on energy during the colder seasons of the year. By preparing your home, you’re not only saving on your energy bill; you’re saving the environment too. Here are the top tips and tricks to help you save energy as the colder weather returns.
- Turn down your thermostat: Adjusting the temperature in your home can have a large impact, even if it’s just a slight bit cooler than normal. By turning your thermostat down seven to ten degrees, you can save up to 10% in energy costs annually. That’s a fairly significant amount of savings for a change in temperature that you’ll hardly notice.
- Switch your fans: Some ceiling fans are able to reverse direction. If you have a reversible ceiling fan, switch it to spin in the other direction. While this may seem like a minor and odd detail, this can be used to blow warm air that naturally rises back down into the room. This way, your heating systems don’t have to work quite as hard to heat up your home, saving you additional energy and money.
- Seal up leaks: Check around doors, windows, and wall cuttings for plumbing and other utilities. If you see any leaks where cold air might seep in, or if you walk past and feel a draft, seal them. Those leaks can let hot air out, reducing the energy efficiency of your home and heating system. This fix will help in the summer too; in warmer seasons, these leaks can let cool air out, also wasting energy.
- Check your water heater: Reduce your water heater’s temperature to 130 degrees. This will help you save on hot water, while you notice little difference in the water temperature in your home. Additionally, use a specially designed blanket to wrap around your water heater. This will help keep the heat in, reducing how much energy is wasted.
With these energy saving tips, you should be set for the colder season coming up. Even if you only make slight adjustments for the winter, the savings on your energy bill will really start to add up.