As winter approaches, you already know that your electric and gas bill is going to get quite a bit higher! All hope is not lost though. With a little bit of planning and foresight, you can lower your electric bill during the winter.
Now, how do you do this you might be asking? Well, there are quite a number of ways you can lower your electric bill during the winter. In this article I will show you the top eight ways that you can lower your electric bill in the winter.
This article complements another one I wrote on How to Lower your electric bill. Check that one out too once you’re done with this one 🙂
1. Lower your thermostat
Let’s start off with the simplest and most effective way of lowering your electric bill during the winter. I know, I can’t wait to see you in a bit counterintuitive to lower your thermostat during winter, but it can save you quite a lot of money.
Just making small changes on your thermostat can have a dramatic impact on your electric bill. According to the United States Department of energy, Heating and Cooling constitutes up to 48% of your household energy consumption.
On average, you can expect to cut your electric bill by 1% for every 1 degree do you lower your thermostat for an eight-hour period. That’s actually quite a significant savings.
So, consider lowering your thermostat while you’re asleep or during the daytime when there is the Sun warming up your home. Of course, it’s not as cozy as keeping your thermostat as high as possible, but it can save you quite a bit on your electric bill.
2. Change your filters
It might not seem obvious but a clogged up and dirty filter can keep your HVAC system from functioning efficiently.
When your filter is dirty, your HVAC has to work harder to push air through it. Heat that is being pumped through your house may also be lost when having to push through a dirty filter. Having a clean filter and not only promotes clean air, it also makes your HVAC system that much more efficient.
When talking about saving money on your electric bill, having an HVAC system work as efficiently as possible is Paramount. It’s easy to forget to change a dirty filter, but make sure you do it regularly.
3. Upgrade your thermostat
Smart programmable thermostats can really save you hundreds of dollars when your electric bill. Nowadays, smart thermostats have gotten much more smarter. I can help you save your electric bill in a few ways.
First of all, smart thermostats typically have programmable temperatures depending on the time of day. You might set your thermostat to automatically lower during the afternoon when you’re at work and backup when you are coming home.
More advanced thermostats can actually detect when no one is at home and will lower the temperature so as to save on your electric bill. I myself have a nest thermostat and it has this feature.
Instead of having to remember to turn the thermostat down when we leave the house, it does it automatically. You can also detect when you are near the home and turn the temperature back up!
Smart thermostats vary wildly and price depending on how smart you want it to be. Various models can cost under $50 but smarter thermostats can cost upwards of $100 or more.
4. Lower your water heater temperature
Depending on your home, water heaters are typically installed in an uninsulated basement or in the ceiling. In both cases, your water heater ends up having to work harder to keep the water hot.
I get it, I love taking hot showers during the winter to keep myself warm. However, if you lower your water heater just a few degrees during the winter, you can end up saving yourself quite a bit of money.
Consider setting your water heater down to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce how hard it has to work to keep that water hot and in turn save you money on your electric bill. With this, you can expect to save up to 25% annually on your electric bill! Give it a try.
5. Use your ceiling fan in reverse
Did you know that your ceiling fan most likely has a little switch that reverses how it spins? By reversing your ceiling fan, it pushes the warm air back down into the room! Crazy, I know!
Somebody who invented these ceiling fans was brilliant enough to realize that warm air rises, so when you run your HVAC heat, the warm air ends up on the ceiling.
Your ceiling fan can help push that warm air back into the room and so you won’t have to run your heating as often! Magic! Take a second to check you on ceiling fan and see if it has a switch to rotate in the opposite direction.
6. Insulate your water heater and pipes
Did you know that there are insulating jackets you can buy and install on your water heater? Yep, these insulating jacket can really save your money by lowering heat loss from your water heater.
These insulating jackets can be found on Amazon and are relatively inexpensive. It’s a super easy DIY job that doesn’t require any special tools or skills.
If your water heater is located in an uninsulated area oh, such as the basement, then this might be a good idea. Insulating hot water pipes areas you have access to can also save you a little money as well. This is a super easy and cheap way to save some money during the winter on your electric bill.
7. Check the insulation on your home
Have you ever Sat by a door or window during winter and felt a breeze? If so, then your house is definitely not insulated very well. It might just be your existing insulation deteriorating and just needing a touch up.
If you are able to Andy, they are loads of insulating kits you can buy from your local hardware store such as door draft blockers. However, if you aren’t so handsy or prefer not to, you can always hire your local handyman to go over your insulation and update it as necessary.
If your home is not properly insulated to come up you can lose up to 40% of heat through doors, windows, and floors. That’s a significant amount of energy being wasted! You can save a significant amount of money on your electric bill if you update your installation.
8. Open your blinds during the day and closed at night
Let’s finish off this list with a nice and easy one. This probably applies to 99% of you out there. If you don’t have blinds but have curtains instead, the same rule applies.
When you leave for your curtains open during the day, this allows the sun to directly warm your home. When the sun sets, closing your blinds or curtains can also help to keep that heat inside and have its not Escape through the window.
This might seem like a small and trivial thing to consider, but you would be surprised how much energy you save by simply using the warmth of the Sun. If you come by in this trick with the other ones listed on this list, you can definitely save a significant amount of money on your electric bill this winter.
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