We all have our favorite season. Some people love crisp, cool weather and bundling up under a favorite blanket, while others prefer the warm temperatures summer brings and all fun outdoor activities that go with it. But there’s one thing we can all agree on: high winter bills are never fun.

Here are five tips to help increase your home’s energy efficiency this winter:

1 Mind the thermostat
This is one of the easiest ways to manage home energy use. We recommend setting your thermostat to 68 degrees (or lower) when you’re home. If you have a heat pump, we recommend that you “set it and forget it,” unless you are away for an extended period of time and can then bring the thermostat back up in two degree increments to avoid unnecessary use of the supplemental heat strips. If you have an electric furnace or baseboard heat, thermostat setback is recommended overnight while you sleep or when you are away for hours at a time.

2Button up your home
The Department of Energy estimates that air leaks account for 24% to 40% of the energy used for heating and cooling a home. We have found that much of that air leak can be attributed to poorly sealed HVAC ducts. While that may sound daunting, it is a much less expensive fix than replacing your HVAC system or utilizing supplemental heating sources. At a minimum, please take a moment to look at every air register in your house to see if it has a good air seal with your sub-floor or ceiling. All you need is a flashlight and perhaps a screwdriver to remove the air register grill. If you have a doublewide mobile home you should annually check the home’s crossover duct which was likely originally joined with duct tape which loses its adhesiveness over time. Any leaky air register boots or crossover ducts should be sealed with a mastic paste or mastic tape. Caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors is another simple, cost-effective way to increase comfort and save energy. If you can feel drafts while standing near a window or door, it likely needs to be sealed. Remember to close fireplace dampers whenever the fireplace is not in use. There are even products called chimney balloons to help seal those drafts.

3Use window coverings wisely
Open blinds, drapes or other window coverings during the day to allow natural sunlight in to warm your home. Close them at night. If you feel cold air around windows, consider purchasing a plastic storm window kit that shrinks to form a remarkably airtight seal once you heat the surface up with a hair dryer. You can insulate 5 windows for about $10. Our energy auditors love these kits!

4Use electric space heaters sparingly
They may be cheap to purchase but the cost of using electric space heaters for prolonged periods can be shockingly high. They can also damage household wiring which increases fire risks. We are very concerned about the number of members who rely on electric space heaters as their primary heating source. The only way a space heater can provide savings is by boosting the temperature of a limited space for a limited period of time so you can avoid raising the thermostat of your central HVAC system. So utilizing one in your bathroom for a brief period of time in the morning makes sense. But please use it safely.

5Sign up for a high energy use alert
Honestly, if you haven’t signed up for this free service yet you are playing Russian roulette with your energy use. Home equipment can fail at any time but it may not present itself outwardly until you receive a high electric bill. To enroll in our high energy use alert program log into your account online or call us at 252.943.3046. Remember to set a PER DAY amount not a monthly figure.