Lower Energy Bills: A Gift to Yourself

December 20, 2016

With the arrival of winter, opportunities for getting lower energy bills in your Iowa home increase significantly. Following are some tried-and-true tips for reducing residential energy use into the holidays and throughout the winter.

  • Take advantage of solar heat. If you have rooms that face the sun, open the curtains, blinds or other window covering during sunny days. That sunshine will warm up a room by several degrees. Make sure you close the curtains as night falls, however, since they will add a layer of insulation to keep out the cold.
  • Use a programmable thermostat. There's no reason to fully heat an empty house. Program the thermostat so it turns down the heat during weekdays (or whenever the house is empty for several hours at a time). You also can program for lower night-time temperatures, since most people prefer it a bit cooler while sleeping.
  • Seal air leaks. A significant amount of warm air/heat energy will escape through cracks and gaps in a home's outer perimeter. Use caulk, spray foam or weatherstripping to seal air leaks in walls, windows and doors. Commission an energy audit to find out where the air is leaking, or do your own inspection.
  • Upgrade insulation. This is especially important in the attic since heat from your living spaces will move upward through air leaks and inadequate or missing insulation, and/or escape through a poorly insulated roof.
  • Use your ceiling fans to help redistribute warm air. Adjust the fan-blade rotation (the switch is probably on the fan housing) to "winter mode," so the fan is blowing air upward, displacing warm air that collects near the ceiling, and pushing it down into the room where people can feel it.
  • More efficient lighting. Switch our your old-school, energy-wasting holiday lights for LEDs. You'll save energy and help the environment.
  • Schedule preventive maintenance on your home's heating system. A well-maintained furnace or heat pump will heat your home more efficiently and safely, and in so doing lower energy bills.

Call Lozier Heating and Cooling Today

For more helpful advice on saving energy in your Des Moines-area home, please contact us at Lozier Heating & Cooling.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).