Tips to Lower Your Electricity Bill in Winters
However, there are some really simple tips that you can follow this winter to keep your energy bills low.
Save your heating costs:
More than 50% of the energy bill is because of heaters. So, if you save even a small amount in this section, you can make a huge dent in your energy bill.
• Keep your thermostat to lowest possible comfortable temperature. Reducing the thermostat by one degree means as much as three percent reduction in your electricity bill! Ideal thermostat setting is 68 degrees F.
• Make sure your heating system is a high efficiency energy star rated unit. These units can save as much as 18% in electricity.
• Keep your heating system well maintained. Get it checked by a professional technician before onset of winter.
• Check air filters monthly and replace them whenever required.
• Install a programmable thermostat, which automatically changes the temperature when you are away from your homes or asleep. Programmable thermostat can help by adjusting the temperature according to your schedule-it can cut back heating at night, for instance, and turn it up again before you rise in the morning.
• Keep air vents clear. Make sure to clean them regularly.
Insulating your home:
As much as it is important to keep your heating system well maintained, so is insulating your home important. Insulation helps retain the heat longer, and thus reducing the need to run heating system to a longer period of time.
• Check air handler and ductwork for leaks; weather-strip or caulk around windows, doors, plumbing and other gaps so that heating and cooling energy won’t escape. Check for water leaks, too. Toilets, in particular, should be checked often.
• Make sure your home is properly insulated. Most of the homes are not properly insulated. Ideally, there should be 9 inches of insulation. Check with local authorities in your area to find the recommended insulation.
• Keep the doors and windows of unused rooms closed. Also, close the heating outlets of such rooms. This will effectively reduce the heating area.
• Most of the heat is lost through windows. If you home has single pane windows, please replace them. Double pane windows are a lot more effective in insulating heat. Also, make sure your windows have curtains. They are simple but effective way to insulate your home.
• Keep your curtains and shades open during the day, and close them during the night. This will help to collect heat from sun during the day, and retain that during night.
Save on other heating costs:
Apart from this, there are other areas also that take more heating during winters and need to be addressed for reducing electricity bill. These areas include water heating, cooking, laundry and dishwashing.
• Turn your water heater off if you are going out for a longer period (a week or more).
• Try to reduce consumption of hot water.
• Use washers with full wash load. This will help reduce electricity usage.
• Rinse clothes with cold water, instead of warm water.
• If you have multiple wash loads to dry, dry them one after another immediately. This will ensure that subsequent wash loads can utilize the already heater dryers.
• Try to cook all the items in oven at same time.
• Take items out from the refrigerator, and let them come to room temperature before heating them.
• Avoid opening the oven door frequently.
• Use dishwasher only when it is full.
• Keep temperature low in dishwasher.
All these above tips if followed wisely can help you save considerable chunk from your electricity bills. Your electricity providers might not like it, but that’s not something you would mind.
Go ahead and have a hot and cheap winter!
