5 Terrific Tips for Using Less Energy When It’s Cold Outside

Between two recent blog posts about energy efficiency during the holidays and a popular post about winterization, we’ve delivered a host of information to help you use energy more effectively throughout your home. But the real question everyone asks when the temperature drops is "How can I lower my winter energy bills while also staying comfortable?"

We admit that it’s a fine line to walk. You like being warm inside your house when it’s cold outside, but you also don’t like the size of your energy bill when it arrives each month. By implementing 5 superb suggestions to your household routines, you can reduce your energy usage and keep your bills more manageable than ever before.

#1 Lower Your Thermostat

This is the big one. It will always be the big one. If you want lower energy bills in the winter, you must find ways to use your heating system less. Our temperature recommendations for your home thermostat are as follows:

• 68 degrees F during the day and when people are home at night
• 65 degrees F when people are sleeping and when people are away from home more than an hour during the day

The best way to introduce these lower temperatures is through incremental changes. Lower your thermostat by one degree at a time until you reach our recommended levels – or stop when someone in your home really can’t handle anything lower. While the goal is to lower your winter energy bills, you certainly don’t want your family to be uncomfortable in their own home.

#2 Program Your Thermostat

The most effective way to implement tip #1 with any real success is to program your thermostat with the recommended settings. This way, you can simply "set it and forget it." If you have to adjust the thermostat manually every single time something happens, you’ll quickly forget to make those changes, or you’ll stop making them to avoid the hassle of remembering.

As a further aid, even your average programmable thermostats these days come with a smartphone app that allows you to make off-schedule changes with ease.

#3 Control the Air Flow Inside Your Home

You want to ensure that the warm air created by your heating system circulates throughout your home as effectively as possible. The goal is to warm your home without constantly running the furnace.

• Switch the rotation of your ceiling fan to where the air is drawn up to the ceiling and pushed down the walls.
• Change your furnace filter once a month (or however the manufacturer dictates).
• Clean the vents into each room of your home.
• Double-check the amount of insulation in your attic, as you want it to be R-30.

Simply put, you increase the efficiency of your furnace and have it run less when you create an environment that retains heat instead of always needing more.

#4 Control the Air Flow into Your Home

The inverse to tip #3, you help out your furnace and keep your winter energy bills low by preventing cold air from getting into your home as much as possible.

• Review the sealing around your windows. If it’s cracked or crumbling, add more.
• Check the weatherstripping on your outward-facing doors. If it’s broken or busted, replace it.
• Close your chimney damper when you’re not using the fireplace.

The reason your furnace runs is to create enough warm air to maintain your preferred thermostat setting. So, the less cold air seeping into your home from the outside world, the less your furnace will run – and the better chance you have at lower winter energy bills.

#5 Use Alternate Ways to Keep Warm

After you’ve lowered your temperature, ensured it stays low with a programmable thermostat, and monitored the air flow inside and into your home, you can help yourself even further with these suggestions for staying warm without your furnace.

• Wear warmer clothes around the house, including sweaters, socks, and long pants.
• Open the curtains during the day to let in sunlight.
• Close curtains in the evening to stave off nighttime chills.
• Use the fireplace as appropriate.
• Have the family hang out together in the same room.

Ultimately, these 5 tips will help you be more attentive to how you heat your home. Not only can you increase the efficiency and efficacy of your heater, but you can achieve lower winter energy bills with ease!