We will typically spend between 5 and 22 percent of our after-tax income on energy costs. And during the winter months, those figures are even higher.
We all would love to pay less for our energy. And using less energy is far better for the environment too.
But at the same time, we don’t want to be living in freezing cold homes. The good news is that there are ways to save on your winter energy bills without getting frostbite.
So read on as we look at nine practical but effective winter energy saving tips.
1. Insulate Your Home
The one thing that is likely to have the biggest impact on your energy bills is getting your home properly insulated.
Without insulation, a lot of the heat that you pump into your home will escape. You are then paying to heat up the outdoors. A lot of heat is lost is through walls and ceilings, so loft and wall insulation can make a huge difference to your energy bills.
You will, of course, have to pay to have your home insulated, but over time the savings should mean that it pays for itself.
2. Turn the Heat Down a Little
It is estimated that you will save about 3% of your heating bill for every degree lower that you set the thermostat.
Turning the heat down by one or two degrees, and you should find that you can barely tell the difference at all. So keep on cranking it down until you get to a point where you are no longer comfortable in your home. Then turn it back up until you first reach the point where your home feels warm enough to live in.
You should find this is significantly lower than what you were using before. And every degree lower is saving your more money.
3. Open the Shades During the Day
There is a giant free heater in the sky every single day. So make use of it.
The greenhouse effect could have a serious impact on our climate, but it is also something that you can use to heat your home. Glass allows the short wavelengths of sunlight through. But when that light hits an object, the re-radiated energy is of a longer wavelength that can no longer escape back through the glass.
This is the reason why your car is always baking hot inside if you leave it out in the sun. Keeping your shades open in the daytime will allow your windows to act in the same way, and help to warm your home.
4. Close the Shades at Night
Once you’ve let all that sunlight into your home, don’t let the heat just escape again.
Close your shades once the sun has gone down, to keep the heat trapped inside. By containing the heat already in your home, you will need less energy to maintain your home at the temperate you want. Make sure to close the shades throughout your home as heat will find the easiest route to escape.
5. Use Your Ceiling Fans
As strange as it sounds, your ceiling fans can keep you warm.
Hot air rises, so as we heat our homes, the warm air that we create rises to the ceiling first. But it is only when the warm air reaches ground level that we are able to feel the benefit.
By turning on your ceiling fans, you can push the warm air down to ground level where you can feel the benefit. Your room will still be the same temperature on average but you will feel warmer.
6. Use a Programmable Thermostat
A lot of energy is wasted heating your home when it isn’t needed.
The most obvious example is having your heating on during the night. When you’re tucked up in bed, your bedroom doesn’t need to be as warm. And the rest of your house doesn’t need heating at all. By using a programmable thermostat you can set the heating to only come on when you actually need it.
Modern smart thermostats can even automatically turn off the heating when you’re not at home to make even bigger savings.
7. Keep Your Heating System Maintained
If your heating system isn’t working efficiently, then it will use more energy than it needs to in order to keep you warm.
By keeping your heating system maintained, you can be sure that it will keep working at maximum efficiency. That means lower energy consumption and lower bills. If your system is quite old, you may find that it’s more effective to install a new, more efficient system.
8. Dress up Warm
You’re only as cold as you feel.
So if you’re lounging around in your shorts with the heating cranked up to the max, you’re not really using your energy efficiently. We’re not suggesting wearing a ski jacket to bed. But by adding one or two layers, you will find that you feel quite comfortable even with the thermostat a little lower.
9. Don’t Heat Empty Rooms
It’s very rare that every room of your home is in use all the time.
So if you’re heating rooms that are empty, you’re wasting energy and money. Keep doors closed, and turn off the heating to the rooms that you’re not using. You will then need far less energy to heat a smaller space.
If you only use one or two rooms most of the time, consider using a space heater for those rooms and turning the heating right down for the rest of the house.
Have You Found These Winter Energy Saving Tips Useful?
We hope you’ve found these winter energy saving tips useful. If you feel like you need to take action to help reduce your winter fuel bills, then we’re here to help.
We offer heating and cooling installation, repairs and maintenance. So whether you’re looking for new, more efficient heating, or want to keep your current system running at its best, we’ve got you covered. We also offer plumbing and air quality products too.
Why not schedule a service with us today?
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