Make Your Home More Energy Efficient in Winter

If you’ve lived through a winter in East Tennessee, you know it can be hard on your wallet. According to the Department of Energy, cooling your home in the summer and warming it in the winter account for a little over half of all your home’s energy use. Anything that helps keep your heating costs down is worth looking into. Here are a few tips for lowering your heating costs this winter.

Attic Insulation-

A properly insulated attic can reduce your heating costs by keeping the heat in longer. It also keeps the heat out during the hot months. It won’t break the bank, and it pays for itself pretty quickly by reducing your heating (and cooling), costs. Make sure you know the rules and regulations for your region and research the local providers to make sure you’re using a reputable and licensed service provider.

Your Chimney-

If you have a chimney, you could be losing heat through it even if you have your damper closed. It’s probably not airtight, which means there’s a draft, bringing cold air straight into your home.

The easiest way to address this problem is a glass fireplace door. You can get a fitted door at big box hardware stores and other retailers.

Energy Efficient Windows-

Outdated windows leak warm air out and let cold air in. Single pane windows do very little to keep your house warm in the winter. Double pane windows with dead space in between the panes greatly reduce warm air escaping and cold air coming in.

A complete window upgrade can be pricey, but the savings can be as much as twenty percent or more on your heating bill. A temporary solution is to put plastic sealing over unused windows during the cold months.

Turn Down Your Water Heater-

Most water heaters come from the factory set at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Try dropping yours a few degrees, maybe even down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and watch your heating costs drop. You can potentially see up to five percent savings for every ten degrees you drop the setting on your water heater.

These are just a few ideas for reducing your wintertime energy costs. Find out what works best for you and your home this winter.