Energy Saving Tips
The temperature is dropping, and the festive season is upon us. For many families, that means that it’s almost time for winter celebrations and meaningful moments with the family. Unfortunately, the winter months also mean that there are a lot of extra expenses for people to deal with too. Not only do you have gifts and huge meals to plan for, but you might end up spending a fortune on your energy bills too if you’re not careful.
Fortunately, there are steps that today’s frugal homeowners can take to keep their costs as low as possible during the colder months of the year. If you’re worried that you’re not going to have enough cash left over for your energy bills this year, the following advice will help.
1. Adjust your Ceiling Fans
During winter, you’ll want to run your ceiling fans a little to make sure that you’re distributing the warm air that collects around the ceiling around the room. However, you don’t want your fans moving at such a rapid pace that they end up cooling your property down too. Flip the directional switch on your ceiling fan and see whether you can reduce the speed.
If you’re having a hard time finding a way to circulate air in your home without cooling the rooms down, then you might need to look into changing up your HVAC system or buying some new fans.
2. Upgrade your Thermostat
A thermostat is something that most of us don’t think much about, until it’s either way too hot in summer, or much too cold in winter. If you’re not sure how to make the most of your thermostat, then you could always consider investing in something that’s a little smarter. For instance, a programmable thermostat will allow you to make sure that you turn your heating off and keep the bills down when you’re not at home.
Getting a loan now to update your heating system and thermostat, even with bad credit, could help you to save a fortune over the next few months when the weather is cold.
3. Get Rid of Drafts
If you do manage to get your heating system up to scratch, the last thing you want is for your heating strategy to be ruined by drafts. On a cold day, stand beside each of the doors and windows in your home to see if you can find any areas where there’s an obvious leak of air. You’ll be able to tell whether an area is cooler than it should be.
If you find any cracks or air leaks, caulk them or find other ways to close them. You can also consider using special weather stripping around your doors and windows too.
4. Avoid Wasting Energy
This might seem like an obvious tip, but it’s also something that a lot of homeowners forget about. It’s easy to overlook the energy that you’re using when you leave your television and computer on standby mode overnight. However, all those small sources of extra electricity add up and go towards your energy bill.
If you want to keep your energy costs as low as possible over the winter, turn things off completely, rather than just leaving them on standby. While you’re at it, consider turning the heating off completely in the rooms that you’re not using in your home. You only really need the room that you’re in to be warm, after all.
5. Bundle Up
While it’s tempting to keep dressing like you did in Summer when winter rolls around, you’ll save a lot of money and be much more comfortable if you’re willing to bundle up. Get your fluffy socks on and pull out any sweaters you can find. You might even decide to invest in a big fluffy blanket that you and your loved ones can snuggle under when you’re watching the television together.
The more layers you wear, the less tempted you’ll be to do things like turning the heating up on your thermostat. It’s also worth doing all your cooking at home too, as the oven will help to heat up your home when you don’t have any other sources of heat available.
6. Use Heavier Curtains
Finally, when winter arrives, consider switching to a pair of heavy curtains that you can draw when the night falls. This will help to keep any left over drafts out of your property and ensure that warmth can’t leak out of your house.
Something as simple like switching to heavy curtains might not seem like it will make a huge difference at first, but it’s one of those little changes that can make a big difference.
