How to Save Money on Your Utility Bills This Winter

In other parts of the country, it’s pretty normal for utility costs to be much higher in the winter than in the summer. It may not get as cold here in Georgia as in other regions, and it may be more of a strain on your home electrical in Forsyth County, GA trying to things cool in the summer than keeping things warm in the winter, but still, who among us would not like to save money on their utilities year-round?

Here are some tips that we think can help you keep your house warm this winter:

• Lower your thermostat: By far the best and most immediate way of saving money is just to lower your thermostat by a few degrees. If you feel like you have to have your thermostat at 70, try 68; if you’re at 68, try 66, and so on. The cooler you can stand it, the more money you’ll save.
• Put plastic weatherproofing on your windows: Plastic weatherproofing for your windows can keep a tremendous amount of heat from escaping your home, especially if you’ve got older windows. Old windows tend to let air escape much more easily than new ones, which are designed under far more stringent energy efficiency standards.
• Put weather stripping under your doors: When heat escapes your home, it has to be replaced. This is what makes insulating your windows and weather stripping your doors so important. If you can locate and insulate all the places in your home that air escapes, you can save yourself a lot of money in heating costs.
• Use space heaters sparingly: Space heaters are rarely if ever as energy efficient as a whole-home heating solution, such as forced-air heating or floorboard radiant heating. If you have one room that’s particularly cold, try to see if you can locate where in the room air is being allowed to escape. If that doesn’t work, consider using a blanket instead of a heater. And, again, try to use the space heater only when absolutely necessary.
• Upgrade your lighting: Replacing all of your lights with energy-efficient bulbs can save you as much as 20 percent on your energy bills. It’s not directly related to heating costs, but while you’re already on an energy-saving push, why not go ahead and make the initial investment and switch for good from halogen lights to LED?
• Upgrade your furnace: If you’ve got inefficient baseboard heating, or an inefficient forced-air furnace, perhaps this is the year to replace it. Some older furnaces are only 80 percent efficient, meaning for every dollar spent on energy, 20 cents is straight up wasted. Newer furnaces can be much more efficient (in the mid- to high-90 percent range), and this too can save a lot of money on heating costs.

Duke Electric Co. has been a family owned and operated provider of home electrical in Forsyth County, GA for over 50 years. Our business has stood the test of time because we go above and beyond as we perform our home electrical work, always striving to uphold the highest standards of excellence and customer satisfaction. If you’re looking for tips for saving money this winter, or are interested in any home electrical services, please give us a call here today.

Categorised in: Home Electrical

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