The anticipation of winter energy bills can be as brutal as anticipating winter itself— but approaching winter never means you can’t start making much-needed preparations. Here are a few of our tips on how to reduce your home energy costs — and your family’s carbon footprint — before winter hits us in full force.
1) Insulating and Sealing Cracks in Walls, Doors and Windows
Early winter is a great time to insulate and seal gaps in your windows and doors. You can use clear plastic sheets, caulking or weather stripping to keep the cold out. Adding fibreglass to insulate your attic and house walls can also provide another layer of protection, all of which keeps the warm air in and the cold air out, keeping your furnace from working overtime and keeping energy bills down in the process.
2) Reinforcing & Maintaining your Fireplace
You can lose a lot of heat from your open fireplace—make sure to close the damper when it’s not in use. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue completely as an unsealed fireplace can let a lot of cold air into your living space.
3) Furnace Maintenance
It can be very difficult to know if your furnace needs repairing or replacing, so always call a qualified professional in your area instead of using a DIY YouTube video as your advisor. More important than saving a few dollars, hiring a professional is an integral step inprotecting your family’s health and safety — as trying to fix the issue yourself can lead to serious harm as well as damage to your equipment. Professionals check for condensation, carbon monoxide, hazardous debris and much more, and they can do it safely and without risk to the unit itself.
If this is the year you finally need to replace your furnace, do your research and find a furnace provider that really cares. The right provider can not only help you find the right furnace but can also give you maintenance tips on how to keep your unit working efficiently. Also, be sure that your furnace comes with a reliable warranty and that you’ll receive speedy service should anything go wrong.
4) Tankless Water Heaters
By switching to a tankless water heater, you save a great deal of money in the long-run as tankless is far superior to standard water heaters in a number of key ways. Thanks to more advanced construction techniques and materials, they are longer-lasting. Because they have replaceable parts, you can fix issues rather than replacing the entire unit.
Tankless water heaters also offer heated water on demand, giving you exactly how much you need when you need it. And because it only heats what you need, and doesn’t store extra hot water in the tank, you conserve a considerable amount of energy by not heating water you won’t use.
To help you prepare for the holidays — and the cold weather that comes along — follow these 4 little steps to winterizing your home and you’ll save on your home energy bills in a big way.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
