Winter: it’s colder, it’s darker and it’s more expensive if you want to combat that cold and dark with extra heat and light in your home. But there are some simple ways you can cut back those onerous winter electricity bills. Follow these eight tips today, and get even more customized help by calling Root Electric at (703) 494-3989 for an energy audit to find hidden energy zappers around your home to save even more money!
1. Put the Sun to Work
Throw back the curtains and open the shades during the day and let natural sunlight in whenever possible, especially on any southern-exposure windows. Natural sunlight keeps you from having to flip on the light switch. It also warms up the room naturally so you don’t have to crank up the space heater or the thermostat so much.
2. Close Shades and Curtains at Night
Whenever the sun isn’t shining, closing curtains and shades can help hold more heat in the room as night progresses.
3. Program the Thermostat
When nobody’s home or everyone’s asleep under their fluffy, warm blankets, you can safely set the thermostat down about 10-15 degrees. When you’re awake and at home, gradually raise the temperature to the lowest setting you all feel comfortable with. This strategy can save you about 10 percent on your electricity bills while saving loads of energy in the process.
4. Wear Layers
Get the sweaters, turtlenecks, fluffy socks and other warm layers out of storage now! Pile on the blankets too. There’s no reason to jack up the thermostat when you can use layers to reflect your own body heat back to you. At the same time, make yourself a hot mug of tea or cocoa or some soup and enjoy the season!
5. Insulate Properly
An energy audit from our Root Electric team can help you find spots in your home where cold air may be leaking in and making your home unnecessarily chilly while draining precious dollars away on extra heating. Make sure the attic is appropriately insulated and get kits from the hardware store to cover up drafty windows. You can also use special door stoppers to block drafts from the bottoms of doors, or use weather stripping around other areas. There’s always a way!
6. Decorate LED Style
Whenever possible, use LED lights for decorating over the winter holidays. They can cut your decorating energy usage by between 80 and 90 percent! They also don’t generate heat, so they are less of a fire hazard than traditional incandescent strings of lights. Also put a timer on the lights if you can; they don’t need to be on during the day, nor will they delight too many people past 10:30 or 11 p.m. on most weeknights.
7. Heat Only the Rooms You’re Using
Turn off the heat and close the doors to any rooms that you are not using. Close off the vents in those rooms so that heat energy is directed back into areas where people spend most of their time instead and you can save a hefty chunk on your heating bills over the winter.
8. Have Your Furnace Checked Regularly
One big energy stealer may be a furnace that hasn’t been properly maintained. Have a pro check it out at the beginning of the season and make sure to change the furnace filters monthly for the most efficient operation.
Put these tips into action as the weather turns colder and darker so that your winter electricity bills won’t be a shocker! For more ways to save electricity any time of year, call Root Electric at (703) 494-3989 for an energy audit and customized tips on ways your home can be more energy efficient!
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