Tips for saving money on your energy costs this winter!

With the cost of heating our homes going up, everyone is looking for ways to reduce costs and save some money.  At the same time, we’re sure that you want to keep your home comfortable through the winter as well – which can be a challenge during NEPA’s harsh winter months.

But with a little creativity and some planning, it’s possible to improve the energy efficiency of your home, reduce heat loss, and SAVE MONEY!

Here are some common issues that are secretly costing you money:

Drafts

Do you have drafts around windows or doors?  That’s not only letting cold air in, but it’s letting your heat out!  This isn’t only incredibly inefficient, but it can cost you a fortune in heating costs over the course of the winter.  If you notice any drafts in your home, addressing them now can mean a much warmer winter for you and your family.

Window & Door Weather Stripping – The weather stripping on windows and doors can break down or deteriorate over time, allowing cold air in.  You can purchase new weather stripping and replace the old pretty easily.  You could probably do all your windows and doors in a weekend!

Plumbing, electrical, and cable / phone lines – Whether it’s plumbing supply lines or drains to your sink or the cable line coming into your home, it’s common for the access holes necessary to run these items to be larger than necessary and not properly sealed or insulated.  If you notice a draft from any of these items, you can often address them with some caulk to seal off the gaps around them or, in more extreme situations, some expanding foam or insulation.

Inefficient Insulation

Proper insulation is the first barrier preventing cold from entering your home and warm air from escaping.  It may not seem like a major issue, but any heat that escapes from your home is money wasted, so addressing insulation issues can save you a lot of money each winter.

Old Windows – If you live in an older home, you may have single pane windows!  This may not sound like a big deal, but newer double-pane windows are designed to insulate your home from the outside and single pane windows don’t do that.  Replacement of windows with newer windows will make a big difference.  As a temporary solution, you can use indoor window shrink film to create an insulated barrier until you’re able to replace the windows.

Cold Spots on Walls – Particularly common in homes with blown-in insulation, the insulation can settle in the walls and create cold spots.  This cold then radiates into the room making the whole room colder.  The only way to really solve this is by reinsulating the walls, either by having an insulation contractor reinsulate with more blown in insulation, or by replacing the insulation with something more efficient.

Cold Floors – More common with hardwood, vinyl, or tile floors, cold floors can radiate into the room, dramatically bringing down the temperature in your living space.  Where reasonable, this can be addressed by insulating below the floor, installing carpet or area rugs, or addressing drafts underneath flooring.

Improperly Insulated Attics – Easily one of the most common issues we see are improperly insulated attics.  Not only can this cause moisture issues and mold problems, but it can cause significant heat loss!  While many people insulate the ceiling of their attics (below the roof), this actually isn’t where you should insulate.  Instead, insulate the attic floor, trapping the heat in the living space instead of the attic.  Your home will be warmer and your attic ventilation will be more efficient.

Change the Direction of your Ceiling Fan

What if we told you that reversing the direction of your ceiling fan can make a big impact on how warm your room feels?  Believe it or not, it can!  By reversing the direction of your ceiling fan, you’ll be pulling colder air up (instead of forcing it down) where it mixes with warmer air that rose to your ceiling.  This mixed air will then spread downward, warming up the space.

Have your Ductwork Cleaned

Dirty ductwork can restrict airflow, reduce the overall efficiency of your heating system, and increase your heating costs!  Not only that, but your indoor air quality will be much better following regular duct cleaning because less dust from your ductwork will end up in the air.

Have your Furnace Serviced

Not only is a well-serviced furnace less likely to malfunction, but it runs cleaner and more efficiently!  That means that it uses less oil or gas to heat your home and you will spend less each month in heating costs.  As part of their service your furnace technician should clean and replace injector nozzles, replace filters, and replace failing components.

While the cost of heating your home will continue to be high for the foreseeable future, hopefully these tips will help you reduce your overall heating costs so that you can save some money this winter while keeping your home warm.  As always, if you do have any specific questions that we haven’t answered here, please don’t hesitate to Contact Your Local Disaster Blaster. We’re always here to help!

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