That’s it, winter is here! This season brings a sudden increase in electricity consumption along with a cheerful spirit. These winter energy-saving tips are ideal for optimizing energy consumption and saving money. Why? Because as temperatures drop and days get shorter, we use more electricity, and it becomes necessary to adopt the right reflexes not to freeze your bank account.
Here are some of our Winter Energy-Saving Tips tips!
1. Take a look at energy vampires
We know we’ve talked about energy vampires already, but it’s crazy how we don’t realize that leaving devices on standby mode increases electricity consumption dramatically. In fact, according to information by the EPA, energy vampires cost Americans almost $10 billion a year and account for nearly 11 percent of all U.S. energy use!
It’s not just about game consoles, television, and even computers. The truth is, all electrical and electronic devices are affected, including toasters, microwaves, coffee makers, and other small and large appliances. Unplugging them when not used is a solution, but it can become annoying and harm the plugs.
What to do then? You can install power strips with a switch to avoid pulling each time on the device’s wire and better take care of them. Better still, you can rely on smart power strips, and rest assured you’re out of vampire energy thanks to the “automatic shutdown” function.
2. Don’t overheat your rooms
Another of our winter energy-saving tips relates to your home’s ideal temperature. For a living room, bedroom, or any other room, 68°F is more than enough. Bear in mind that electric heating is energy-intensive; however, we get it if you still use it due to its inexpensive ease of installation. In addition, do not overheat rooms in which there is little traffic, you can even try closing the vents on those ones . And this moves us to the next of our winter energy-saving tips…
3. Optimize your home’s insulation
This is one of the winter energy-saving tips that we just can’t stress enough. A home with excellent insulation equals low-energy usage. Therefore, it brings fewer electricity expenses. There is work to be done on double glazing, floor, and roof insulation. Adopting smart insulation is also an intelligent strategy to decrease power usage. One action to take is to make the most of natural light indoors. If you ensure your cracks are sealed, those small changes can save you up to 20% on heating costs. This easy tip can help you have good savings on your energy bill.
4. Rearrange your furniture
Shift some furniture that avoids shadows obstructing light penetration and prevents them being on the vents. As simple as this is, this is one of our top winter energy-saving tips.
5. Change your filters
If you haven’t already, this is one of the winter energy-saving tips that is a must. A filthy filter may obstruct air movement, causing your HVAC system to work harder than required, thereby increasing your monthly energy expenses.
6. Lightbulbs with low energy consumption
This is an all-time tip, not just one of our winter energy-saving tips. Low-consumption light bulbs have many advantages: they are more economical because they consume less, are also more durable, and are constantly cheaper and cheaper. Low consumption bulbs are ideal for a more economical and ecological light.
Care must also be taken to equip lamps and lighting sources with low-consumption bulbs, not just your ceiling bulbs. Their small additional cost to purchase is largely offset by their lifespan. Another important point: you must equip your radiators (electric or otherwise) with reflective panels glued to the wall behind the radiator. They provide superior performance to your radiators, which radiate their heat inside, not to the wall.
7. Maintain your heating system regularly.
The law recommends an annual inspection for people who have a gas boiler. It appears self-evident that households with electric heating should not overlook the importance of routine maintenance. However, most of us do. Make sure you run a thorough cleaning regularly for electric heaters. Covering radiators or putting furniture in front of them is also a bad idea. Making sure your HVAC system is in tip-top shape is one of our winter energy-saving tips.
8. Run some maintenance on your apartment
Of course, a clean, well-ventilated apartment will consume less electricity than a permanently closed apartment. Indeed, the lack of ventilation causes moisture retention. This humidity, to be evacuated, requires the home to overheat. Overheating = overconsumption!
9. Some energy-saving tips for doing in your kitchen
Another of our winter energy-saving tips is not to forget that those appliances that produce cold also consume electricity. Also, remember to defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly. The grill, placed at the back of your refrigeration appliances, should be cleaned often. The accumulation of dust and dirt is a source of excessive consumption.
10. Open and close your curtains strategically
We’re getting to the last winter energy-saving tips of the day. In this one, we strongly encourage you to close the shutters as often as possible, outside of the night or when you are away. Equip your windows and bay windows with thermal curtains over the sheer curtain. These represent a good investment in conserving heat in your home. Consider caulking doors and windows with insulating tubes at the bottom. The front door can also be linked with a thermal curtain. Your entrance will only be more comfortable.
11. Switch to a fixed energy rate
You know that winter comes along with crazy weather conditions, but do you know what else comes with that? Sudden increases in energy prices. To overrule this, we’ve got a solution for you: Switch to a fixed-rate energy plan. It doesn’t matter what utility company serves your home; if you live in an energy deregulated state, chances are you have the power to choose your energy supplier -No, utilities and suppliers are not the same, in case you’re wondering-.
At Click2Power, we can help. Enter your zip code, find the best supplier for you and, after you’ve narrowed down your options, you can ask for more information before making a final selection. When looking for a new energy provider, be sure you have all the information you’ll need to make an educated selection. While pricing schedules, customer service quality, and green energy alternatives are essential advantages of deregulation, several additional elements will impact your costs, and understanding them is key to lowering your expenses.
