Winter brings low temperatures, freezing winds, and chilly precipitation — all of which encourage you to turn up your thermostat in hopes of keeping your home warm and cozy. However, increasing the heat in your home means you’re driving up the size of your gas and electricity bills. Thankfully, our 6 helpful winter energy-saving tips below can help you save money in and around your home

Much like our suggestions for summer, saving energy in winter comes down to improving how effectively you can use energy around the home. If you lower the stress on your heater by using it less, you will make great strides toward achieving a lower energy bill.

#1. Lower the Thermostat

We get it. No one really wants to be cold in the winter. But when you push your heater too far above 70° F, you’ll start seeing energy bills like you did in summer when you set your air conditioner at 72° F or below.

To begin seeing a real difference in your energy usage, we recommend the following setting for your thermostat:

• 68° F during the day when people are home
• 65° F (or lower if you can handle it) at night or when people are away from home

There’s a reason that several of the following tips all revolve around helping your heater work more effectively so you don’t have to keep it running all the time. It’s simple — your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system uses more energy than anything else in your home. Thus, if you want a lower bill in winter, you must start by using less energy to heat your home. Anything less won’t deliver the impact you want.

#2 Get Your HVAC System Inspected

To truly ensure that your heater is working properly all winter, you need to call a licensed professional to conduct a thorough inspection of your entire heating system. This includes the duct work, wiring, and other physical hardware. Any failure at any juncture of the home-heating process will result in wasted heat, which means you’re spending too much money on heat no one uses.

#3 Air-Seal Your Home

You should close up all of the areas of your home where warm inside air can escape and cool outside air can sneak inside. We recommend paying attention to the following places:

• Windows – add fresh silicone caulk to the inside and outside of your window frames
• Doors – install new weatherstripping to the frames of all doors that lead to the outside (including to the garage)
• Outlets – secure wall plates around outlets (including installing gaskets around the very loose ones)
• Exterior – close openings in your foundation and other parts of your house

If you have leaks and drafts in your home, your heater will keep running all winter long because it can’t keep up with transfer of air between the interior and exterior of your home.

#4 Replace Your Air Filter

Yes, you can find this tip on any list about energy efficiency, but it’s for a reason. The dirtier the air filter for your HVAC system, the harder it works to do its job. And the harder it works, the more energy you’ll use just to keep your home comfortable.

You should change the filter every three months at minimum, but most people recommended changing it once a month. We recommend consulting with the manufacturer of your HVAC unit to determine the best possible course of action for that machine.

#5 Adjust Your Ceiling Fan

Check every fan in your home to ensure they all spin clockwise. You want the fan to pull warm air up into the ceiling so it can then settle down into the room and keep you warm.

#6 Add Insulation

According to home improvement professionals, you want your attic insulation level to be r30 rated. Without proper insulation, your home is unable to retain heat properly, so your heater has to keep running so your family stays warm all winter.

Depending the age of your home and how it was constructed, you should also consider adding insulation to your walls. And while both of these tasks can be handled by a homeowner with do-it-yourself experience, you can also call a professional for assistance.

Lower Your Winter Energy Bills with HVAC Experts

Our team here at HVAC Experts is ready to help you with any of your HVAC needs! If you are ready to start reducing your energy usage, give us a call so we can help you save money today!