How to Keep Your Energy Bills Low This Fall

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Carry Out Inspections

It is no secret that heating accounts for a large portion of your power bill. Therefore, fall is a great time to examine your HVAC unit. Inspect the heating and cooling units and change filters. Call a professional to examine the unit and to carry out maintenance. After he gives your unit a clean bill of health, do not stop there. Check with your local utility if there are any incentive programs going on. There may be incentives for energy audits or energy-efficient appliances. Comprehensive home evaluations by energy raters can help you know which updates to make in order to lower your energy bills. Go through this HVAC unit checklist to check your system this fall.

Keep your Energy Bills Low: Change the Temperature

One of the best ways to save money is by lowering your thermostat. Set your thermostat to 70⁰ and below in fall. During the day, lower the temperature and put on warm clothing. When you are asleep, turn it back up. Also, use warm bedding to cater for the difference in temperature. Close all the windows in your home when the heat is on to avoid energy loss. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, get one as it allows you to easily change the temperature.

Open Window Treatments

Your drapes and blinds can help you to save energy. On days when the sun shines brightly, open window treatments so it can warm your home. Solar energy is the best energy because it is free. At night, close window treatments to prevent heat from getting out. You can also get window treatments which help you to save energy. Some window treatments – like honeycomb shades – minimize heat loss during the cold season and heat gain during the warm season.

Prevent Air Leaks and Save your Energy Bills

Air leaks can wreak havoc on your energy bills. They let in cold air during fall and winter and make your HVAC unit to work harder. The more your unit works, the more you pay for energy. Set aside time to look for air leaks around doors, windows, utility pipes, and gaps in the basement, attic, or chimney. Seal air leaks in your home with weatherstripping or caulk. You can also add excluders to the base of your doors. This helps regulate indoor and outdoor air and improves air quality. These tips from Energy.gov are great fall energy bill savers.

If your windows are drafty, you can cover them from the inside with clear plastic film or clear plastic sheet during the cold months. Make sure the plastic sheet is sealed tightly to a frame to lower penetration. If the windows still feel drafty after weatherizing, install insulating shades or drapes to enhance energy efficiency.

Take a Look at Your Fireplace

When it comes to energy loss, most fireplaces are culprits. They allow warm air to go up the chimney and escape outside. To prevent this, close your fireplace when there is no fire burning. When using the fireplace, minimize energy loss by opening the closest window slightly or by opening dampers at the bottom (if provided). Close doors that lead into the room and set the thermostat to 55⁰ or below. These fireplace maintenance tips are good to try out.

If you want to cut down on your energy bills this fall, following these guidelines is a no-brainer. They will help you to save energy and to get ready for winter. Sure, it’s important to stay warm during the cold season, but you can stay warm without expending lots of energy. Prepare for the low temperatures in advance.

Need more Energy Bills Savings Ideas?

Take a look at this Fall & Winter Home Maintenance Checklist!

For more green living energy ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

The cooler fall weather is upon us! And as a typical early fall season tends to go, the nights and mornings are cool and the afternoons get hot. With these daily fluctuating temperatures, how do we keep your home energy efficient? Here are just a few tips to keep you and your home at just the right temperature this fall without breaking the bank.

Keep windows open or closed for fresh air:

Since the evening and early morning hours are the coolest at this time of year, it only makes sense to open your windows nice and wide at night.  I hear you, what about security? Well, consider just opening your upper floor windows while you sleep, allowing for fresh, cool air to come in while keeping the house safe and secure at the same time. (Keep an extra blanket near your bed, in case you get chilly in the middle of the night).  Make sure to close your windows and drapes around 10 a.m. before the afternoon heat sets in. This will ensure your home retains the cool air for as long as possible. The best thing about this plan? You can avoid turning on the costly air conditioner!

Line Dry Your Clothes:

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Yes, it seems old-fashioned, but line drying your clothes is not just for Grandma.  Our Grandparents did this because it was financially efficient.  Take advantage of these nice fall days and hang your clothes out on the line. After all, the sun is free!

Seal Your Windows:

Image via: Houzz

Sealing your windows is one of the simplest and most cost-efficient ways to make your home more energy efficient.  Inspect all your window and door frames for cracks or openings. Simply seal these cracks with a Low-expanding foam sealant. This will keep your doors and windows free of those chilly fall and winter drafts.

Image via: Houzz

Change Your Filter:

Another simple home efficiency step is to change your furnace filter on a regular basis, allowing for proper air flow through the ducts.  You may also want to have your heating system inspected and cleaned before the real chilly days of winter begin.

Use these tips this fall to save energy in your home on Stagetecture.

The long summer days have already come to their close. The fall season has officially started, as it is the beginning of September. As the temperature will gradually go down from now on, you should start thinking about conserving energy in your home. While keeping the inside of your house warm without losing money on your energy costs.

Image via: Mark Pinkerton vi360

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Utilize Natural Heat

If you have south-facing windows in your house, keep the curtains open during daytime to take advantage of the heat from the sun. Natural sunlight is a natural solution to keeping a place warm during the cooler days. While keeping the windows open at day, close them at night to reduce the chill from cold weather.

Image via: Gregory Carmichael

Adjusting the Temperature

Save the heating bills by adjusting the temperature of your house. Set the thermostat at a comfortable low level when you are at home and awake. When you are outside of your home or sleeping, you can set the temperature to 10-15 degrees. This little action will save nearly 10 percent on your cooling and heating bills in a year. If you find it irritating to change the temperature again and again, buy a programmable thermostat to make the job easier.

Cut on Fireplace Heat Loss

When you are not burning a fire, keep the fireplace damper closed. Warm air goes right up to the chimney through this damper. A heat-air exchange system and tempered glass doors in the fireplace will also bring the warm air back into the room. C-shaped metal tube-made grates will draw the room’s cold air into the fireplace and flow warm air back into the room.

Image via: Houzz

Seal the Leaks

Check your house to find any air leak around utility cut-through and seal it. Energy loss occurs through leaks made by cut-through for gaps around chimney, incomplete spaces behind closets and cupboards, pipes in wall, and recessed lights in insulated ceilings. Doors and windows may have leaks too. Seal them with chalk or weatherstripping.

Use Wood

Wood can be a very good element to prevent the energy loss of your home during the cold days. Take out the curtains or blinds of the windows and use wooden shutters instead because they help to insulate. Besides saving energy, they also add elegance to any space.

Image via: Decor City

Using wooden shelves is another effective way to save energy. Place these shelves above the heaters and radiators. Hot air from heaters and radiators usually goes straight up to the ceiling instead of spreading through a room. However, shelving above a heater or a radiator will prevent hot air going upward and help circulating it out and into the room. Place the shelving at least one foot above the heater or radiator to avoid a fire.

Numerous ways are there to save energy during the cold weather. Find out what will be convenient for you to do and apply them on your house.

For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.