Winter Energy Saving Tips and Safety

The cold weather is upon us and it’s time to prepare your home to handle the icy, winter climate. We’re giving you some general tactics to save energy and money this winter season. Whether you’re looking to make small changes around your home without cost or find an inexpensive way to enhance your homes’ energy saving abilities, we’re here to help!
– For drafty windows and doors, use a heavy-duty plastic sheet on a doorframe or tape plastic film to the inside of window frames. Ensure the seal is tight to help reduce cold air access.
– You can also seal leaks by adding caulk or weather-stripping to doors and windows.
– Use an infrared thermometer to find drafts in windows and ceilings.
– Schedule service for your heating system to be sure everything is in working order before the weather gets extremely cold.
– For your furnace, replace the filter once a month or as needed.
– When you’re not burning a fire, keep your fireplace damper closed to prevent cold airflow from entering the house.
– If you refrain from using your fireplace, permanently plug and seal the chimney flute.
– Lower the temperature in the entire house and use space heaters for specific rooms you frequent to reduce your heating bill. – Refer to our Holiday Lighting Safety and Efficiency Blog for tips on lowering your holiday lighting costs.

Winter Energy Safety Tips

– If you have a generator or use one in the winter months, always put it outside away from doors, windows or vents. The exhaust from generators can be highly toxic.
– In the winter months, radon levels can be high when windows and doors are kept closed for long periods of time. Test your home for radon levels with a home test kit from local home improvement stores.
– Insulate pipes to avoid them from freezing and bursting from extreme low temperatures.
– Be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy when using a wood-burning fireplace.
We hope you utilize these tips and safety measures this winter to save money and stay safe!
 

Sources

Energy.gov

www3.epa.gov

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