Would you like to learn how to save energy at home? Who wouldn’t, right?
For some people, winter is a beautiful season. It is filled with holiday cheer and plenty of activities that can only happen when the temperature drops.
For others, it is a season that causes great discomfort, one that can only be endured with modern heating technology and plenty of hot toddies.
But no matter how you view the coldest season, one thing is sure – your energy bill will climb quite a bit as the weather cools.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to limit the damage to your wallet. Not only that, but you can increase your overall comfort in the process.
We will provide practical energy-saving advice around your house for winter. By making some adjustments around your property, the cold might be a little more bearable.
From experience being a real estate agent for the last thirty-eight years and being a homeowner for almost as long, there are many things you can do to lower your energy bills.
I will provide some of the most useful suggestions to put money back into your pocket.
Use these winter energy savings tips to reduce your bills and make your home safer and more enjoyable.
How to Save Energy Around The House
Get a Home Energy Audit
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to get an energy audit completed at your property.
This is one of the easiest ways to determine how well your home saves energy while keeping you comfortable. A professional energy audit will examine all aspects of your home to see how efficient its energy usage is using various tools and techniques.
The auditor will even examine your family’s energy usage and habits to determine how you can improve your energy usage. You can usually ask your local utility company where to find a reputable auditor.
If you are lucky, your energy provider may even offer an audit for free. Another fantastic place to get energy-saving tips for winter is the Department of Energy website, referenced as Energy.Gov.
An energy audit is worth your time to save a significant amount of money around your home yearly.
Older homes can get the most benefits from the audits. There will be plenty of places to save money.
Add Solar Panels
Adding solar power to your home is a significant but rewarding investment, offering many benefits beyond merely saving on energy costs. The cost is expensive but worthwhile when planning to stay for many years.
- Reduction in Electricity Bills: Installing solar panels can dramatically reduce or even eliminate monthly electricity bills. The amount you save depends on your solar system’s size and electricity usage.
- Incentives and Rebates: Many governments offer tax incentives, rebates, and solar credits to offset the initial installation cost. These incentives can significantly reduce the payback period of your solar investment.
- Protection Against Rising Energy Costs: Solar power shields you from the volatility of energy prices in the traditional electricity market, providing predictable energy costs over time.
- Reduction in Carbon Footprint: Solar energy is a clean, renewable resource that reduces your home’s reliance on fossil fuels, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and overall carbon footprint.
- Promotes Biodiversity and Conservation: Unlike traditional power plants, solar panels have minimal environmental impact and can be installed on existing structures, preserving natural habitats and biodiversity.
- Self-Sufficiency: Solar power can provide energy autonomy, making your home less dependent on the national grid and more resilient to power outages and energy shortages.
- Battery Storage Systems: With the integration of battery storage, solar energy generated during the day can be stored and used at night or during peak demand times, further enhancing energy independence.
- Higher Resale Value: Homes equipped with solar power systems have been shown to sell faster and at higher prices than non-solar homes, as buyers are attracted to the benefits of reduced energy bills and environmental impact. Just know the value won’t increase as much as the purchase price.
- Modernization and Appeal: Solar panels are often seen as a premium upgrade, akin to renovated kitchens or hardwood floors, adding to your home’s aesthetic and functional appeal.
- Net Metering: Many utilities offer net metering, allowing homeowners to sell excess electricity generated by their solar panels back to the grid, earning credits or cash.
- Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs): In some areas, FiTs provide long-term contracts to solar energy producers, purchasing the generated electricity at a guaranteed rate, which can provide additional income.
Bring The Natural Light in
Opening the curtains during the day is a wise move. The windows that allow the most sunshine should be left uncovered during the daytime.
This will allow the sun’s energy to naturally warm your home and lower your need for your heating unit to kick in as often as usual. Close the curtains after the sun goes down to help insulate the windows.
Insulate Your Windows
You can increase the insulating properties of your windows in several ways. The first and most obvious is to install heavier insulating drapes that fit tightly to the window opening.
You can install a transparent plastic film to seal the window frame tightly. This creates a layer of air that will help with insulation.
You can attach the film directly to the wall or frame or create a wooden insert covered in plastic that fits tightly to the window frame. This removable frame makes it easy to take off the plastic when you need to and can be used again and again.
Seal Any Leaks
There are many areas where warm air may escape from your home. There is no point in heating the outside air, so take some time and explore all the places where you can seal the house.
The most obvious places are windows and doors. Apply weatherstripping or caulking around your windows and doors. You should also look for any place where pipes or cables enter your home.
Often, these need to be sealed as well. This is why getting an energy audit is such a good idea. One of the things many energy companies will do for free during an audit is to seal the leaks in your home for you!
Lower The Thermostat
With a bit of experimentation, you should be able to find the lowest thermostat setting that allows you and your family to remain comfortable.
If you wear warmer clothing inside, you can keep the thermostat lower. You can also lower the thermostat by 5 to 10 degrees at night while sleeping or out of your house for the day.
Some heating specialists, however, recommend not dropping the temperature too low. The reason suggested is that everything in our homes absorbs heat, including the furniture, accessories, walls, etc.
Saving energy can be as easy as balancing comfort and expense.
Clean and Maintain Your Heating System
Depending on your heating system, it should be possible to clean it yearly and replace the air filter to improve efficiency.
You should also consider calling in an HVAC specialist for an annual checkup on your heating system. A faulty or dirty system can cost money during colder winters.
If you have an oil heating system, cleaning, and maintenance become necessary, as they can get filthy. You can also take years off the life of your system if it is not maintained yearly.
A gas heating system should have a tune-up every couple of years. A heating system is a significant component in your home, and when it is time to sell, a buyer will look it over with a fine toothcomb.
If not appropriately maintained, your heating system can quickly be flagged as a home inspection problem.
Examine Your Fireplace
Take a close look at your fireplace for drafts. While traditional fireplaces are fun to use and provide a great atmosphere, they must be appropriately maintained and fitted with modern additions to give efficient heat to your home.
Make sure the chimney and fireplace are clean and sealed. Keep the flue closed when you are not using the fireplace.
If you want the fireplace to heat your home, you must install glass doors. You’ll also want an exchange system to push warm air into the house and cold air into the fireplace.
Many people do not realize that a conventional brick fireplace may warm the room you are in, but it will suck the heat out of the rest of your home, making it feel colder in other areas.
Remember always to keep the fireplace damper closed when no fire is burning. Leaving the damper open is similar to leaving a window open in the winter, as it lets warm air escape the chimney.
Check the fireplace flue damper seal and make it as snug as possible.
When utilizing the fireplace, you can minimize heat loss by opening the dampers at the bottom of the firebox (if available) or slightly opening the nearest window by approximately 1 inch.
Additionally, close the doors leading into the room and lower the thermostat setting to between 50 and 55F.
Consider acquiring grates crafted from C-shaped metal tubes designed to draw cool air from the room into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the surrounding space.
If the fireplace is not in use, it is crucial to plug and seal the chimney flue.
Use LED Lights For Holiday Decorations
LED holiday lights use much less energy than the old strings of holiday lights everyone used to use. Investing in modern light strings is worthwhile to keep the house looking good for the season without breaking the bank.
You can also set the lights on a timer so you don’t have to worry about them remaining on while the sun is up.
Hot Water Heater Maintenance is Wise
Depending on where you live, your water may have certain minerals that can build up and lower the efficiency of your water heater over time.
Call one in if it has been a few years since a specialist has looked at it.
Heating water for the home uses a large portion of the energy on your utility bill, up to 25% in some cases. You can also lower the temperature setting of your water heater to around 120 degrees if you want to save some money.
It will still put out hot water, but not unbearably hot. Most home inspectors recommend this as a proper temperature for young kids. Anything hotter than 120 degrees increases the risk of scalding.
Wrap The Hot Water Heater
Wrapping the water heater with insulation can also be a big energy saver, especially during the winter. You can buy a water heater insulator kit at any Home Depot or Lowe’s.
These blankets are inexpensive and can save a decent amount of money. The payback on this item will only be 1-2 years, given the savings on your electrical bill.
Consider Adding Additional Insulation
Adding insulation is one of the best ways to reduce energy costs. I have added insulation to every house I have owned. Owning homes in multiple states and seeing the positive effects have been worthwhile.
Your home may be insulated to a certain extent that meets the building code. However, you may be able to apply additional insulation in the attic, basement, and external walls to increase the heat retention in your home.
This may be something you want to bring in a professional for, although you can certainly do it yourself if you are so inclined. Modern insulation is pretty easy to install. Adding an extra layer or two may save you a lot of money in heating bills over the home’s life.
I would highly recommend adding as much insulation as your budget allows. Doing so will be a significant money and energy saver.
Avoid Blocking Heating Vents
This is one of the most straightforward tips that won’t cost you a dime. Blocking vents can make your heating system less efficient.
Furniture and toys can drift over vents during the warmer months. Scan your home to ensure all the vents are unblocked and free to push warm air into the house.
If you use a heating pump, you should go outside and ensure the input is free from debris and grass.
Clean The Refrigerator Coils
Vacuuming the refrigerator coils once a year is a must. If you have a pet, doing so is even more important, as hair, dirt, and debris can get caught in the coils. This creates a very inefficient appliance.
These things impede air flow and make heat transfer less efficient.
Put Down Additional Mulch in Your Flower Beds
If you have any plants you want to protect over the winter, such as roses, putting down a nice, thick layer of mulch in your flower beds can be helpful. This will help the plants stay warm when the weather drops, and it will help retain moisture as well.
It will also make your landscaping look better, even if the plants are dormant. While this is not a direct energy save for your home, it will help you save a few bucks on plants you might not need to replace in springtime.
Blow Out Your Sprinkler System
If you have yet to experience a freeze, you still have time to protect your sprinkler system from freezing and cracking. Call a contractor to blow out all the water left in the sprinkler system for the winter.
This doesn’t cost much money and can prevent much expensive damage when the temperature drops.
Replace a Roof Before Winter
If you will replace your roof before the winter season, consider one that is Energy Star-rated. It will help protect our environment through superior energy efficiency.
Install a Programmable Thermostat
Installing a programmable thermostat is another cheap solution for lowering energy bills. If your house still has an old thermostat that you must manually adjust, you could lose money on your heating bill.
A programmable thermostat allows you to set your desired temperature during all hours. You can tell the system to lower the temperature by 10 degrees at bedtime every night. You can also increase the temperature a half hour before you get home from work.
These are inexpensive and can be a really easy way to save a little money on heating costs. Again, remember that the temptation to conserve energy in the winter could cause you to roll back your thermostat too much when you are not around.
A fine line exists between dropping the temperature and lowering it too much.
Consider a WiFi Thermostat Control
Even better than a basic programmable thermostat, this new option allows you to control your thermostat from your smartphone.
If you forget to lower the temperature before you leave for work, you can do it from your phone.
You can also respond to sudden weather changes while out of the house.
Some of these systems can even control other things in the house, like lights and garage door openers. This is a great way to gain complete control over your home’s systems remotely and save energy.
Purchase Energy Star Products
If you find replacing appliances will happen sooner rather than later, consider Energy Star products. They are much more efficient and designed specifically to save energy.
For example, comparing a regular fridge to an Energy Star fridge could offer as much as 20 percent savings in energy charges. You can sell your used appliances and put the money towards purchasing new models.
Unplug Appliances Not Being Used
Ask any guy, and they will tell you they love having their beer fridge in the basement. If you are energy-conscious and tight on money, this is a definite way to decrease your winter energy bill.
A second refrigerator takes quite a bit of energy to run. You can lop off quite a bit just by unplugging this one appliance.
Pro tip: Set your refrigerator to 35-38°F (1.7-3.3°C) and your freezer to 0°F (-18°C) for optimal performance without excessive cooling.
Replace Standard Bulbs With Compact Florescent Bulbs
These bulbs are commonly referred to as CFLs. I will be the first to admit I do not like these bulbs. However, when saving energy is your primary concern, they will certainly do that.
These kinds of bulbs use 75% less energy and last around nine years. It is estimated you will save around 40 dollars for the bulb’s life. They can be put just about anywhere in your home, including outside.
If you are going to be selling your home, there is no question that buyers are conscious of your home’s energy consumption. One of the top questions I get as a Realtor is the energy bills for the homes I am marketing.
Buyers consistently ask for records of prior heating and electricity bills.
They do this to gauge the efficiency of your home and be able to budget for their financial purposes. Buyers have several expenses when purchasing a home. Many buyers will look for homes that are pleasing to the eye and energy efficient.
First-time buyers will especially scrutinize these bills as many are on a tight budget. These energy savings tips will help you in the short run. When it comes time to sell, they can reap additional benefits!
Save on Water Usage
Installing low-flow showerheads and faucets reduces hot water use, saving energy and water.
Conclusion
As you can see, numerous ways to save energy around your home exist. Take advantage of these tips to start saving money today!
Additional Energy Saving Resources
- Save energy by going green Via Carbon Diet.
- Get an energy audit with Mass Save – if you are a Massachusetts resident, get an audit done on your home with recommendations for energy savings. Via Mass Save.
Use these additional energy-saving resources to get the most out of lowering your energy bills this winter!
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided information on how to save energy at your home. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
