High energy bills during the cold season can wreak havoc with a home (or business) budget. Here are a few tips to lower them.
Find the lowest comfortable setting for your thermostat, and keep it there. This works best if you have an automatic setback thermostat that lowers the setting during sleeping hours or when people are gone through the day. Each degree of temperature above 68 degrees adds 3 to 5% to your bill.
- Keeping furnace filters clean can save 10-15%. Change standard filters monthly and HEPA filters quarterly.
- If you have a fireplace, keep the dampers closed when not in use. Warm air escapes up the chimney causing the furnace to run and replace it.
- Minimize the use of electric space heaters. It is common for them to consume 1,000-1,500 watts per hour, which is about the same as 15-20 light bulbs.
- Use a ceiling fan to push down the warm air at the ceiling and pull up the colder air at the floor. Circulating and mixing this air reduces furnace use.
- Your water heater is your second-largest energy user. Set it to 120 degrees and insulate the hot water pipes so that the water doesn’t cool so much on the way to your faucets.
If you are suspicious about the amount of electricity you are using, or your bills are simply too high, call us at 317-271-1099, or send us a service request! We can check your home or business and spot any problems you have.