

Winter is coming and your electricity bills will rise. Finding the best ways to keep yourself warm, but at the same time reducing energy costs, is a great gift for your wallet on this winter. In order to do so and achieve lower electric bills during winter, it is essential to optimize the use of heat during the season.

In this article, we will discuss some interesting ideas to keep yourself warm and give you some winter energy saving tips!

Adjust your thermostat: This is one of the most important winter energy saving tips. Many times we forget to lower our thermostats when we get out of the house. Turning down your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees can save you money on energy bills up to 10% every year. The ideal moment to do this is overnight when you will enjoy around 8 hours of pleasant temperature and energy consumption reduction.

Smart thermostats are a good choice: To avoid the annoying problem of switching the thermostat every night or every time you get out of the house, choose to purchase a programmable thermostat, that automatically lowers temperature values over the night and increases during the day.





Open your windows in winter: The Sun is the best, free and unlimited source of heat that we can have. Remember to open all the windows that face South during midday and let the sunlight enter your house. Using this natural resource as much as possible will help you achieve lower electric bills.





Purchase a humidifier: Another remarkable winter energy saving tip. A humidifier is the best way to add moisture to any environment. Moisture concentrates the heat and makes the air warmer. You can purchase several humidifiers to add moisture in different spots of the house.





Ceiling fans can also be useful in winter: Ceiling fans are essential for the circulation of air flow in the house. If your ceiling fan rotates counter-clockwise, then you will push hot air up and you will be leaving a cold air on the ground. You must avoid doing this. However, if your ceiling fan goes clockwise, then you will keep the hot air down and you will get warmer.





Enjoy Christmas with LED lights: LED technology is one of the most efficient and low-energy consumption options to illuminate your house during Christmas. Use them to light up Christmas trees, garlands, stairs, Santa Claus ornaments and also to light up areas or rooms inside your house or business.





Forget about incandescent bulbs: There is nothing that consumes more energy than keeping your lights up with incandescent bulbs. Install fluorescent bulbs in all the rooms of your house and you will see lower electric bills.





Seal air leaks: One of the most common reasons why the heat does not get concentrated inside your house is because there could be air leaks in some spots of the building. To find air leaks you must first go through a visual inspection, checking all exterior points of the house where two different building materials meet. Also, inside the house, you must check electrical outlets, doors, windows, and holes between drywalls and sheathing. When you find the air leaks, remember to seal all of them with foam sealants.







Invest to add attic insulation: As your house gets older, your attic might become a point of air leakage. To keep the air warm and maximize the energy efficiency of your home you should have an insulation between R-22 and R-49. Choose loose-fill insulation instead of fiberglass since it is more effective covering joists.

Install storm windows: Most US households have single-pane windows and they represent a great source of heat loss. Replacing them by storm windows can reduce heat loss by 50%!





Avoid space heaters in wide open spaces: Space heaters can consume a lot of electricity and if they are placed in the wrong places, you might just end up paying that extra money without feeling really warm. If the space that the heater has to warm up is smaller, then it will consume less electricity and the room will be warmer.



Avoid heat losses through fireplaces: To reduce heat losses, you must remember that heat could get lost through the chimney if the vents are not closed. Only open them when you have lighted up the fire to keep the smoke out of the house, but remember to close them when you turn it off.





Maintain temperature levels: Try to maintain temperature levels inside the house in similar values across the day. Radically increasing and reducing the temperature of your thermostat every day can lead to high energy losses and increase electric bills. The reason is that the heater requires much more electricity to warm a colder house than to keep temperature levels between a small range.





Install Energy Star Appliances: When it comes to energy efficiency, one of the most important tips for any season is to install only Energy Star Appliances at home. These products compared to other inefficient appliances are not much more expensive, but they can save you much more money in electricity on the mid and long-term. Learn more about how to know if your appliances are efficient here

The Most Important Winter Energy Saving Tip: Request an Energy Audit

The most reliable and technical way to find out how your building is using the energy during winter is to request an energy audit. A professional energy auditor will evaluate the efficiency of energy usage in your business and will provide solutions to keep the heat inside while maximizing energy savings. Besides, air leaks can be easily found for them since they can install blowers or use infrared thermometers to find air drafts and air leaks in different points of the house.