Tips for Saving Energy...
Ways to Save Energy and Money at Home

Energy Saving Tips for Winter

When it's cold outside, here are some simple ways you can keep energy use and costs down on the inside.

  1. Have your furnace cleaned and checked.
  2. Clean or replace your furnace filters every two or three months. A dirty or plugged filter reduces the amount of heated air supplied to your home or apartment, increasing your heating cost.
  3. Set your thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 degrees at night or when you are away from home more than four hours. If you have a heat pump, set your thermostat back no more than 3 to 4 degrees.
  4. Make sure air registers are not obstructed by furniture, carpeting or drapes.
  5. Open shades and drapes on sunny sides of your home or apartment during daytime hours. Close them at night.
  6. Close storm windows. Keep windows tightly latched. Cover windows with plastic insulating film to reduce drafts.
  7. For comfort in cool temperatures, warm clothes can be the best insulation of all. A light, long-sleeved sweater equals almost 2 degrees in added warmth; a heavy sweater adds 4 degrees. This should allow you to keep a lower thermostat setting, saving heating energy.
  8. Keep fireplace damper closed unless in use. An open damper can be compared to keeping a 48-inch window wide open during the winter. Close the damper as soon as you are certain the fire is completely out.
  9. If using a portable space heater, turn down the central heating thermostat to offset the energy being consumed by the space heater.
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