5 Energy-Saving Tips to Survive Winter 2022
Almost half of your annual energy bill likely goes toward powering your home’s heating and cooling system. During the warmer summer and colder winter months, when you use the AC or the heater, your utility bills will increase significantly. It’s important to be careful with using power so you can comfortably pay for heating throughout the winter months.
It’s also important to mention that energy saving doesn’t only affect your wallet. If you’re striving to spend as little energy as possible, you’ll be on the road to living a more sustainable life. This decade, it’s highly important to not only think of our own convenience but also our planet.
Luckily, you can do several easy things to lower your heating bills and save money on your power bill without sacrificing your comfort during the colder months.
1. Weatherstrip your doors and windows
Sealing up drafts is a smart first step if you want to reduce your energy use in winter. When you place weatherstripping around your doors and windows, you may prevent a lot of heat loss. It’s likely you don’t even notice how much heat goes through the little cracks in your doors and windows. In addition, door sweeps assist in closing the gap between your door’s bottom and the frame. Even the easily installable draft stopper will help keep the chilly air out to some extent.
2. Check your insulation
Investing in quality insulation is one low-cost strategy for lowering your heating bill during the colder months. No matter if you live in an apartment building or a barndo, insulation is equally important for staying warm during the winter months. Additionally, if you have an outbuilding, it’s crucial it’s also insulated, so you don’t unnecessarily double your utility bills. Therefore, metal building insulation shouldn’t be overlooked.
If you live in a house, putting insulation in the attic is a good first step since it helps retain heat in the house. Walls are another common route for heat loss, particularly at switches and other points where utilities enter a building. If you want to keep the heat in and prevent the pipes from freezing, you need to pay special attention to the area surrounding the plumbing.
3. Space heaters can help
Consider using a space heater if you only need to warm up a relatively small room. Since no heat is lost as a result of ductwork or combustion, electric space heaters are an effective method to keep warm. Space heaters are great for heating rooms that are blocked off from the rest of the home or that you only spend brief amounts of time in, such as the garage or the bathroom. The efficiency of a space heater is lower than that of a natural gas furnace or a heat pump, so it’s not the best idea to completely rely on them for heating the entire home.
4. Insulate your pipes
Insulating your home’s pipes may keep hot water hot for longer. Therefore, the entire plumbing system will use less energy to heat up.
You can protect the pipes connecting your water heater’s storage tank and boiler with a simple foam insulating tube. Make sure to purchase the appropriate size tube. You can find them in almost every home improvement shop. Just put it over the pipes, and you’re good to go!
5. Wait to do laundry
Running full loads of laundry is one of the simplest methods to reduce electricity use. Using the same amount of energy to wash a fraction of a load as a full one is wasteful. You waste more energy and water when you run numerous loads when you could’ve waited a bit and filled up the entire machine.
Reduced laundry loads mean less time spent running the washer and dryer. If you wish to save even more energy, look into the most efficient washer-dryer sets.
Plus, there’s less time spent heating up water. The money you save may surprise you!
Keeping your house warm and cozy throughout the winter while staying within your heating budget may be challenging. With our tips, you’ll be able to save money while being more eco-friendly this cold season.