Expert Tips to Reduce Your Winter Electric Bill
What is a reasonable temperature for a house in winter? If you find yourself asking this as the chilly, frigid weather bears down on North Carolina this year, you’re not alone. Like so many other homeowners, you’re likely trying to figure out how to lower your heating bill this winter to save some of your hard earned money.
There’s no magic one size fits all answer for the cheapest way to heat a home, since heating efficiency and costs vary based on the type of system, size of the home, and local environment etc, but taking action with the following steps can make a real difference in bringing those utility bills down.
5 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill this Winter
#1 Set Your Home’s Thermostat to 68°F During the Winter Months
This advice comes straight from the experts. The U.S. Department of Energy officially recommends 68°F as the optimal temperature to help reduce winter energy bills. This is generally a comfortable enough temperature for many during the cold months, but if someone in your home just isn’t cozy enough, they can likely resolve the issue by wearing warmer clothes, a negligible price to pay when you consider the possible savings. But the thermostat strategy savings don’t stop there.
#2 Turn Your Heat Off and On Strategically Or Run Even Lower in General
Many people often ask “is it more expensive to turn heating on and off?” They’re referring to whether or not it costs more to strategically turn off your heat at various points of the day compared to letting the heat run at a lower temperature continuously.
Let’s dig into this deeper. It’s commonly thought that it will cost more money to warm up a house rather than to maintain a generally warm enough temperature over the course of the day. In actuality, this just simply isn’t true. If you turn off your heat then on again, here’s what happens. Energy can actually be saved in the timeframe between when the heater is shut down and the home’s temperature has fallen as much as possible within reason, and when the heater is restarted. It can generally save you more to turn on and off rather than to let the heater run at a specified 68°F setting.
Now there is a nuance to this, you can still save more money by going the “run continuously” method if your temperature setting is substantially lower than your normal range. So while 68°F continuously will reduce some costs, running continuously at an even lower temperature will make even more of a savings impact.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy states that reducing your heating by 10-15 degrees for an eight hour period each day can result in approximately 5% to 15% in annual energy saving. If your home is empty while you’re at work all day for example, that’s a great time to try out this method.
Even though the heat is running continuously, it being set at a substantially lower temperature makes a real difference. This is due to heat differentials between the inside and outside of the home. When the outdoors is cold, more heat in a home means it can escape easier, but less heat inside will be retained more easily.
To sum this up, 68°F is a great setting to save on, but turning your heat off and on as needed or running consistently at a considerably lower temperature than normal will help you save substantially more if you’re trying to figure out how to lower your heating bill this winter.
#3 Use a Programmable Thermostat
Some homeowners have saved approximately 10% to 20% on their energy spending from month to month by using a programmable thermostat. They are convenient too, allowing you to make customized heating and cooling sequences around your schedule.
#4 Regularly Change Out Your Air Filters
Dirt and other particles in soiled filters will slow down air flow to circulate more easily around your home. Replacing your air filters will help maximize the efficiency of your heating system. The more efficient it runs, the less money will come out of your wallet.
#5 Book Professional Heating Maintenance
That’s right, a simple maintenance on your heating system from a certified technician can reduce your heating spend. Besides ensuring that everything is running properly and that there are no lurking issues about to send your system to a catastrophic breakdown, a technician will bring it up to optimal operational speed. That will in turn mean higher efficiency and savings for you. Some ways efficiency is enhanced include:
- Airflow testing
- Adding lubricant to moving parts
- Tightening any loose connections
- And more
Call Us for Heating Maintenance in Raleigh, NC & Nearby Areas
Please call (919) 823-6796 today or fill out the contact form below for heating maintenance services in the Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner, and Wake Forest areas. Our highly trained and certified technicians will make sure your system is running efficiently so you can save money throughout the winter. We hope you enjoyed our tips on how to lower your heating bill this winter, please check back in for more expert advice.