Energy Saving Home Winterizing Tips

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Make your home feel warmer without solely relying on turning up the heat! Here are some quick energy conserving tips as we nestle deeper into fall and approach the winter season.

1) Dodge the draft(s)
According to th U.S. Department of Energy, drafts are responsible nearly 5% – 30% of energy waste. To conserve energy consider finding or making a DIY draft snake for placement a your door threshold using scrap pieces of fabric, old towels, or neckties.

2) Change or clean furnace filters
Although this may be easy to forget, clean or replace your furnace filter once a month during the high heat using months. If your furnace is on its last leg and might not make it through this winter season, be sure to take advantage of federal tax credits for new furnaces which can cover up to 30% of the cost.

3) Run ceiling fans in reverse
Ceiling fans are not only useful in the hot summer months, if you switch the blades to run counter-clockwise in the winter, the warm rising air will be circulated back down to the living space. Thus keeping your home warmer for longer and therefore reducing your energy use.

4) Turn down your water heater
Although many conventional water heaters are set for 140 degrees F by installers, most households don’t need that much heated steam and end up paying for it in their monthly bill. Try lowering the temperature to 120 degrees F (or lower) to reduce your water heating costs by 6% – 10%.

5) Use weatherstripping and caulking
Take a close look at places where there are seams in your home such as corners, around windows and chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. One option for testing this is to use the incense test: carefully move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke flickers, you have air creeping in. And therefore heating or cooling leaking out. Seal any gaps or leaks with weatherstripping or caulking.