With winter just around the corner, many Waldorf homeowners are looking for ways to control their electric bills in the coming months. It feels like the cost to heat your home is constantly increasing. So staying within your household budget is always a stressful balancing act. However, when you follow a few tips from the electrical pros at Circuit Doctors, you can be on your way to lower energy bills and a less stressful winter.
Controlling Heating Costs
The HVAC system is usually the leading energy consumer in the household. So if you can manage your home’s heating more efficiently this fall and winter, you could be enjoying significant savings on your electric bills. These few simple tips can help take a bite out of your winter heating bills.
- Check for air leaks around doors and windows. These small gaps can be stealing your warm air and money all winter. Invest in a roll of weather-stripping or a tube of foam to seal up any air gaps before cold weather arrives.
- Improve the air circulation in your home by using ceiling fans to push the warmed air back down to the living space closer to the floor. Also, make sure that all the heating vents are free of obstructions like furniture or long curtains that could be blocking your warm air.
- Adjusting the thermostat back when no one is home or everyone is asleep is a good way to save about 10% on your heating cost. Cut that temperature back from 72 to 62 at night and when the house is empty for a hefty savings. To make the process even easier, consider installing a programmable thermostat to do the work for you.
Cut Back On Hot Water Costs
Your home’s water heater is likely the second-biggest consumer of energy behind the HVAC equipment. A few simple tips can let everyone in the house pitch in to save hot water and money this winter.
- The average person showers for eight minutes a day. If you can cut that back to six minutes, you will be reducing the cost of showering in hot water by an impressive 25%. Get the entire family on board to increase your savings.
- If you are not ready to give up two minutes of your shower, think about installing a low-flow showerhead. The newer models use an aerator to reduce water consumption by about 20%. So you could be saving almost as much as if you cut those two minutes off your shower. Or you could be doubling your savings with a shorter shower and low-flow showerhead.
- Adjust the temperature on your water heater from the industry presetting of 140 degrees to 120 degrees. No one ever uses only hot water. You are blending hot and cold to get the ideal temperature. So dropping the hot water temp by 20 degrees will never be noticed. But what you will discover is that you are reducing the operating cost of your water heater by around 10%. And if you are going on vacation this winter, be sure to turn your water heater to the lowest setting to maximize your savings while the house is empty.
- Save some money and extend the life of your clothing by washing with cold water. New cold water formulated detergent cleans as well as hot water. But you eliminate the cost of heating the water. And wash only full loads to maximize your water and energy use.
For more tips and help reducing your winter electric bills, call (703) 463-9866. The licensed electricians at Circuit Doctors have many more suggestions and can help by installing energy-efficient lighting and appliances in your home.
