Do you want to decrease your energy bills? Well, you can do that by making some changes in your home for the winter season. For instance, you can use a microwave oven instead of a gas stove. Moreover, you must make sure you have an insurance plan to cover your heaters and boilers, as a boiler breakdown in the middle of the colder months can certainly disturb your life.
Here are six more tricks that can help you reduce your energy bills (and perhaps your stress level!) in the winter.
Inspect Your House for Leaks
Air leakage is the main culprit when it comes to excessively high heating bills. This is especially true in regard to old homes, because the settling of the foundation may lead to cracks around doors and windows.
To discover possible gaps in your house, you must turn on your bathroom and kitchen fans, and then hold an ignited incense stick near the spaces around the boundaries of your windows and doors.
Pay attention to the change in the smoke coming from the stick. In the case of an air leak, the smoke will relinquish and move inwards because of its exposure to the outside air. If there’s no disturbance to the smoke, you can assume that air leaks aren’t present in a particular area.
Utilize Heat From Appliances
Ovens, dishwashers, and dryers obviously need heat while they’re being used. Since you’ve already paid for these appliances, you should use them to warm up your house, too. To do so, simply leave the door of an appliance open for a few minutes to let its heat enter your home. With the heat from your oven and dishwasher, your kitchen may end up feeling very cozy on a cold winter’s night.
You can’t overlook the heat that comes from hot baths and showers, either. Winter air inside your house will become dry, so it won’t be necessary for you to run a bathroom fan after showering to avoid mildew and mold. Instead, you can open the door of the bathroom to invite steamy, hot air in and improve your indoor humidity.
Hang Your Clothes to Dry
Instead of using an electric dryer, you can hang up your winter clothes indoors for drying. It may take two days for them to dry, but this will help you save money. Moreover, it’s an excellent way to increase the humidity of your indoor air.
Feel free to install a telescopic clothesline that vanishes when you’re not using it. You can also hang your clothes on drying racks, which may help you extend the life of your clothing while saving your pennies at the same time.
Make Use of Your Windows
On sunny days in the winter, you should open your blinds or curtains at certain times in order to capture free heat and light. It’s especially important to open your south-facing windows. More specifically, it’s best to open your windows at 9 a.m., because that’s the best time for capturing light. At the same time, turn down your thermostat a few degrees.
Curtains are similar to insulation for your home, so be sure to close your curtains by 3 or 4 p.m. to maintain an acceptable level of warmth.
Use Small Appliances
If you’re using a microwave, there’s no need to use an oven. A microwave may use almost 80 percent less energy in comparison to a conventional oven. In the absence of a microwave, you can use a crockpot to save energy.
Strategically Open and Close Vents
If you have a new energy efficient furnace, you’ll be provided with unrestricted airflow through the ducts of your house, but it’s necessary to maintain a balance. For that reason, you can block off vents in certain rooms, as leaving them all open may force a system to work too hard and even break down.
Your new furnace system will need regular servicing. The annual inspection should involve cleaning your system to increase its efficiency and inspecting it for leaks in ducts. Furthermore, you must frequently check for carbon monoxide problems.
With a programmable thermostat, it’ll be even easier for you to decrease your electricity bills during the winter. For each one-degree (Fahrenheit) decrease on your thermostat, you’ll be able to save almost 3 percent on your bills!
Feature image: burak kostak; Image 1: Chait Goli
