Winter Is coming: Here’s how to save money on energy bills

With the winter season approaching, there are tips everyone can follow to take advantage of energy bill savings. Here are ways to prepare for the upcoming season without freezing your budget.  

Save on energy bills: prepare your home

Do a quick inspection of your home for any air flow leaks. If you are still using your air conditioning during certain parts of the day, then that is a perfect time to inspect. Walk around your house and feel for any air leaks coming from your windows or doors, if you put your hand up to the borders of the doors and windows and you feel air/heat coming out, you may have a leak. You can seal these up pretty easily with door insulators and weather strips – making your money spent on heat more efficient. Make sure that your fireplace damper is closed as well as leaving the damper open is just as bad as leaving a window open all day.

Save on energy bills: daily tips

As the temperatures start to change, start leaving your heat off as long as you can during the day to preserve on the energy bill. Instead, use the power of the sun to heat your home by leaving the blinds and curtains open during those peak hours. At night when the temperatures drop, open your windows and let the cool breeze come in (if you like it a little cool in the house).

Make sure you keep up with the filters in your HVAC system during this time as switching over to heat will move around the dust in the vents that have collected over the summer months but this can be minimized by properly maintaining your system with new filters every 1-3 months depending on what your system requires. When the cold starts setting in, bundle up before you turn the heat on. And if your home has a fireplace, use it to keep your living space toasty all without spending money on running the heat consistently. The benefit of colder months is that you can always put on a jacket or grab another blanket to keep you warm

Running a full load of dishes in the dishwasher all at once will help save unnecessary expenses by running fewer loads. Keep your fridge at least ¾ stocked at all times to maximize its efficiency and you will start seeing the energy bill drop.

Getting ready for a change in seasons and have some work to do? If you’re worried about costs and don’t want to empty your emergency cash stash, a LendingPoint loan may be a great option.