Six Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Winter

To prepare for the upcoming winter season, we wanted to share tips to help you improve your home’s overall heating efficiency. These small steps can yield big benefits in savings and performance over the life of your heating system.

SEAL YOUR HOME

Taking a couple of hours to apply weather-stripping and insulation where heat might escape – doors, windows, outlets, for example – can trim your energy bill by 10%.

MANAGE YOUR THERMOSTAT

The U.S. Energy Department reports that, by turning back your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours. This can save 5% to 15% a year on your heating bill. A programmable thermostat can make that daily adjustment for you.

GET A TUNE UP

Annual maintenance enables your system to operate at peak efficiency, which can save up to 10% or more on your energy bills.

USE COMMON SENSE

During the daytime, keep curtains and blinds open to let in sunlight to warm up the room. At night, close them to keep cold air out. Remember to avoid using space heaters, which are expensive to operate.

REVERSE YOUR CEILING FAN

Reverse the direction of your ceiling fan, so the blades spin in a clockwise direction on low speed. This creates a gentle updraft and forces warm air near the ceiling down to the occupied space

CLEAN YOUR VENTS

Make sure your heating vents are not blocked by furniture or drapes and dampers are open. Vacuum out any dust or pet hair from warm air registers and cold air returns to help your heating system run more efficiently.