As winter approaches, many of us reach for the thermostat to crank up the heat to make sure we can stay comfortable. Unfortunately, this extra use of your furnace means that energy costs generally get higher and peak in the winter.
However, the winter season doesn’t need to mean exorbitantly high energy bills. There are some ways you can save and make sure that you keep your costs as manageable as possible. Without any further ado, let’s go over a few different ways that you can keep your energy bills low this winter.
Make Sure Your Furnace is Running Efficiently
One of the best ways to ensure your energy bills stay low is to make sure that your furnace is running efficiently. An inefficient furnace will be much more costly to operate and can speed up the wear and tear that it faces, too.
The way to make sure that your furnace is efficient is to call in an expert like Metro Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. They will be able to come out and inspect your furnace before winter hits, to make sure there are no issues or problems that could lead to inefficiency. These experts will go through every component and part and test things out to make sure they are working as expected.
If issues come up during their inspection, you can be sure that they will be able to fix them. Your furnace may not be giving you obvious signs that it is running inefficiently, so having a trusted expert come check it out is one of the best ways to make sure.
Also, take time to change out your furnace filter, as well. A clogged filter can make a furnace work much harder than it needs to. This can generally be done once every few months, but some will need to be switched out each month.
Maintain a Tight Seal on Your Home
During the winter, you run your furnace to keep the inside of your home warm and cozy. But if you have drafts, leaks, or gaps that let air in and out, you are also heating the outdoors. If cool outdoor air is allowed inside, it can force your system to work much harder to keep your home warm, thus increasing your energy bills.
To keep your bills as low as possible, you need to maintain a tight seal to keep warm air inside. Before winter hits, consider air sealing your home, which involves finding and repairing all drafts and air leaks. They can technically be anywhere but are most commonly found around windows or doors.
Lower Your Temperature By a Small Amount
Another tip to ensure your winter energy bills stay low is to simply lower the temperature that you usually set in your home. The less your home needs to heat itself, the more money you will save.
After a day or two at this lower temperature, you will hardly notice the difference, but will now save money that you would have otherwise had to spend to heat that extra few degrees. While it might only be a small amount of savings, it is better than nothing.
There are plenty of ways to stay warm without turning up the heat, which include grabbing a blanket, putting on a sweater, drinking some warm beverages, and plenty of others. These can ensure you don’t get cold, without having to send your winter energy bills skyrocketing.
In conclusion, we hope these tips have been able to help you keep your energy bills low in the winter.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
