Don’t Sweat It
You’ll stay warm and keep your energy bills down if you follow these simple tips.
Clean or replace furnace filters once a month or as needed.
Set your thermostat at 68º to 70º during the day and 60º to 62º at night. Setting your thermostat back by 10º can save 15% on your heating costs.
If you’ll be away from home all day, lower the setting on the thermostat so that you’re not heating an empty house. Consider installing a programmable thermostat that will automatically lower the setting at night when you can stay warm under the covers and during the workday when you’re not at home.
If possible, install a heat pump. It won’t save you much in the summer, but it will in the winter. Heat pumps are twice as efficient at moderate winter temperatures as resistance heating.
Keep draperies on the sunny side of the house open during the day to allow sunlight in and closed at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.
Close the vents in spare bedrooms and other rooms that you do not use. Why pay to heat areas that don’t need it?
Watch out for too much fireplace draft, which can pull hot air out of your home. “Heat-a-lators” or “inserts” solve this problem. Keep your fireplace damper closed when you’re not using the fireplace.
Keep Your Cool
During warm weather, you’ll stay much cooler at a far lower cost if you make sure your air conditioning is operating efficiently. Follow these simple tips.
- Replace the filters in your central air conditioning system or window units at least once a month (or more if necessary, depending on the amount of pet hair, dust and lint in your home).
- Keep the outside part of your air conditioning unit clean and free of debris.
- Set your thermostat at the highest comfortable temperature. The U.S. Department of Energy calculates that for every degree you raise the setting, you’ll save 3% on the cost of running the air conditioner.
- If you’ll be away from home all day, raise the temperature on the thermostat by up to five degrees so that you don’t pay to cool an empty house. Consider installing a programmable thermostat that will automatically raise the temperature at night when it’s not as warm and during the workday when you’re not at home.
- Don’t put lamps or TV sets near the thermostat. It will sense the heat from them and cause the air conditioner to run more than it needs to.
- Close draperies on the sunny side of the house during the day. Leave storm windows and doors in place all summer.
- Close the vents in spare bedrooms and other rooms that you do not use. There’s no point in cooling areas that don’t need it.
- On hot days, avoid using appliances that create heat and humidity, such as dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers.