After a year of social distancing and sheltering in place, you may have noticed that your electricity bill is a little higher than usual. Think about it: Netflix marathons, cooking and baking weekly, spending nights inside with the lights on—sounds like a recipe for increased utility costs. And since families will likely be spending more time at home at through the winter, we thought we’d share some tips to help reduce that electricity bill before it goes too high.
Reduce Utility Costs With These Five Tips
Let’s start with the most obvious and often overlooked: turn off lights in rooms that you’re not using. Seems simple enough but we often walk out of room leaving on the lights and television while we start doing other things in other rooms. Might seem minimum but those costs can add up.
Now let’s jump into some tips that can really help move the needle on reducing your energy costs.
- Check your insulation. Heat often escapes via air leaks around doors and windows—and attics. This causes your HVAC system to work harder which results in higher utility costs. Check your windows and doors and ensure there’s.a good seal.
- Use a programmable devices. This is the age of technology—use it to your advantage. Program your thermostat to lower the temperature slightly at night—a few degrees can translate to significant cost reductions. Run your dishwasher in the evening during lower consumption times. Program every programmable device to work at low-consumption times.
- Don’t over heat your home. If you’re not there, no need to warm it up. Set up a schedule so that your HVAC kicks on just before you come home if you’re away during the day. These gives your system a break and your pockets too. If you’re not occupying multiple rooms, opt for a space heater rather than turning on your entire system just heat one room.
- Take advantage of the sun. Have several rooms that receive ample sunlight? Use this to your advantage. Although it may be hard to believe, the sun can be a great source of heat when the temperature outside is a little chilly. Open your drapes during the day and allow the sun to warm up the room. Be sure to close your drapes at night to help keep the heat in.
- Keep up with HVAC maintenance. You knew this would be on the list. HVAC maintenance is essential to making sure your system is working at peak performance. And when your system is working properly, you’ll see the difference in your utility costs. Change your air filters regularly, at least every 30–45 days, clean dust and debris from around your outdoor unit, and be sure to keep your vents clear of any obstructions. Schedule annual maintenance with the Air Hawk team to ensure that your condenser coils are clean and that your ductwork is free of debris.
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