Overlooked Ways to Keep Your Energy Bills Down This Winter

During the winter season, it’s easy to see your energy bills suddenly skyrocket. Now that it gets dark earlier, people are turn their lights on sooner and are more likely to cook warm meals in the oven, especially with big holiday meals and other special holiday treats. There’s also the Christmas lights you use to decorate your tree or the outside of your home. Not to mention, you’ll be running your furnace more. It all adds up fast. There are lots of things you can do to help cut down on how much energy you use this time of year, but here are a few ways that people often overlook.

Use the Fireplace

Instead of turning the heat up to stay warm indoors, try using your fireplace more often to keep the chill away and remain comfortable. Wood-burning fireplaces can easily heat a living room or bedroom that they're in, which can make it easy to rely less on your furnace and use less energy. If you keep your furnace down and get more use out of your fireplace, you can always use blankets and sweaters to give you a little extra warmth if you’re still chilly.  Best of all, when you have your fireplace to help out, you have the assurance of knowing you’ll have a source of heat and light if your power goes out.

Use the Right Size Dishes

When cooking for the holiday season, many people make the mistake of using casserole dishes or pans that are too large for the items that they're cooking. After all, it might seem better to use too big of a dish than one too small. Using the right size of a dish can prevent using more heat in the oven and therefore require less time to cook the meal.

Keep the Curtains Closed

Curtains and other window coverings are more than just a decorative statement, they can play an important part in keeping your home warm. It's important to switch out your sheer curtains for a ones made with a heavier material that can help to insulate the home and prevent the outdoor temperatures from getting in. The curtains should be opened in the mornings and during the day to allow sunlight in for extra warmth before they're closed when the sun goes down.

Switch to LED Bulbs If you haven’t started using LED bulbs yet, now is a good time to start. LED bulbs are more energy efficient. Incandescent light bulbs use 60 watts compared to LED bulbs, which only use six to eight watts when they're in use. This means that incandescent bulbs use an average of 3,285 kilowatts each year compared to LED bulbs, which use 329 kilowatts annually.

Prepare Now for Winter Storms

Winters can come with some major storms and many have the potential to knock out your power for days. An ice storm can actually knock it out for weeks. By preparing now for the winter storms, you can be sure that you and your family are safe and prepared for anything thrown your way.

Winterize Your Home

A lot of heat can escape your home if it is not insulated properly. Before winter arrives, be sure that your home has adequate insulation. If your windows are old, be sure to use caulking to seal them or consider installing vinyl replacement windows as they are known for their efficiency. Also, be sure to install weather stripping around your doors. The idea is to keep the cold from getting in and the heat escaping.

Get Your Emergency Supplies Ready

When most people think of emergency supplies, they think of extra batteries for flashlights, a battery operated radio, and extra blankets. Emergency supplies must also include an emergency heat source, extra lighting, and a supply of food and water. With food, be sure that you have enough food that’s non-perishable and that doesn’t require the use of electricity to cook and that you have enough on hand to feed your family for at least a week or more. Keep your grill supplied with propane and you will always have something to cook on. When stocking up on food supplies, do not forget the needs of your pets.

Prior to a Storm

If you know a storm is coming, be sure that your vehicle has at least a half of tank of gas and is ready to travel if necessary. Inside your vehicle, keep an emergency supply ready that includes extra blankets, flashlights with extra batteries, and a small supply of snacks, such as crackers. You also should have a car charger for your cell phone. Before the storm hits, be sure that everything that could be blown around is removed from your yard and that your vehicle is parked in an area where falling limbs will not damage it. The idea is to be prepared and ready to go if necessary.

Winter storms are something that most people take in stride. These are the people who have prepared for the worst. You may not want to think about it, but ignoring it will not make the risk go away. The fact is that it is better to be prepared than to have nothing on hand when the winter storm knocks your power out and you are stuck at home due to the bad roads.

How to Heat Your Home When the Power Goes Out

With cold weather coming on quickly, the one thing you should be concerned about is how you are going to heat your home if the power goes out. For many people, especially those who live alone, the answer is to simply go stay with someone who does have power. However, in a widespread power outage, this may not be an option and you must find a way to heat your home.

Woodstove

If you do not have a woodstove in your home, you are certainly at a disadvantage, but this does not mean that you can’t have one for emergencies. A temporary woodstove can be installed in just a few moments. You simply need an unobstructed window, a small wood burning stove, a chimney pipe that also has the elbow, a small piece of plywood, and, of course, a good supply of wood. Simply put the chimney out an open window and put the plywood around it to cover it up. The woodstove is temporary and can be put up and taken down just as easily.

Kerosene Heater

While kerosene heaters of the past have been proven to be quite dangerous, there are many available on the market that come with extra safety measures. For example, many of the heaters available will shut off automatically if it tips over or is bumped too hard. While these kerosene heaters are safe, you still want to be sure that you have a carbon monoxide detector that runs off batteries nearby.

Candles and Clay Flowerpot

Although this method is only good for heating up a small room, it is perfect for those who do not have any other means of producing heat. Simply place tea light candles on a fire-proof surface and place a clay flowerpot over them. The heat from the candle will go into the pot and expand. The clay pot should have a hole in the bottom of it, which will actually be the top as the pot will be placed over the candles upside down. Placing several of these makeshift heaters in a small room may not bring the room up to a high temperature, but it will keep you from freezing.

When the power goes out in the middle of winter, your first thought may be to go somewhere else to get warm. However, safety should always be your top concern and, if the roads are bad, you should stay home. Just be sure that you take all safety precautions with your emergency heat source to prevent any unnecessary risks. The idea is to stay warm without harming you or your family.

Prevent Home Energy Loss Before It Starts

Homeowners are always looking for ways to cut energy costs and do their part for the planet as well as their wallets. It’s one thing to do things like switch to more energy efficient lightbulbs or turn the thermostat down a few degrees after they get a big bill. But why wait until you get surprised with a big bill to start making changes? Closely monitoring your home’s maintenance is a great way to stop opportunities for energy loss before they can turn into wasted money.

Furnace/Air Conditioner Maintenance

Many people think furnace or air conditioner maintenance involves simply changing out the filters on a regular basis and nothing more. Replacing the filter can help decrease energy costs, but it doesn’t prevent the system from breaking down. The bad news is some of the issues that can arise, such as a malfunctioning thermostat, can cost homeowners a great deal in energy bills. In the spirit of cutting energy costs, one should have the system inspected and tuned-up regularly, particularly right before summer and winter.

Seal Air Leaks

Insulation and caulking around doors and windows deteriorates over time. The resulting air leaks not only cause energy bills to spike, but also strain heating and cooling systems, which can lead to costly repairs. Homeowners can spare themselves the unnecessary expense by inspecting the area around windows and doors regularly and sealing any air leaks they find. You’ll be glad you took the extra time to this!

Protect the Windows

People often enjoy throwing open the windows and letting the fresh air in instead of running the air conditioner, which is a great way to cut energy costs during the warm summer months. However, even when windows are closed, they may serve as a constant drain on heating and cooling systems. People can avoid this by simply adding a layer of protection such as window shades or drapes. One may even consider replacing their windows with vinyl windows since they help protect the home from outside temperatures, thus save on energy bills.

Monitor the Thermostat People often adjust the thermostat the moment they walk in the door. All they succeed in doing, however, is causing the system to work overtime and their energy costs to soar. Avoid touching the thermostat until one adjusts to the interior temperature. One may find the house is rather comfortable and the thermostat setting is perfect. If you and your family are out of the house all day and you want to keep the temperature down during the day but don’t want to come home to a cold house, you might want to consider a getting a programmable thermostat. That way, your house will be cooler when nobody is at home, but you can set it to warm up when it’s almost time to come home. You won’t even have to think about changing the thermostat!

Tips to Help You to Prepare for the Winter Snow Removal

Winter may be the most beautiful season of all, but it can bring some pretty harsh conditions. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed with the weather and what it leaves behind, you are not alone. The fact is that snow removal can be dangerous work if not done correctly. Here are a few tips to help keep snow removal as easy and stress free as possible.

Prepare Your Snow Removal Gear

Fall is the perfect time to get your snow removal gear ready for use. The fact is that you need everything ready before the first snow arrives or you could find yourself in trouble. Have shovels placed near your doors. Your snow blower should be inspected as well as your plow truck if you have one. For ice build ups, it is important to have a healthy supply of salt close by and deicer for your vehicle. The last thing you want to do is to find out your snow blower isn’t running correctly, your snow shovel is falling apart, or that you’re all out of salt once you’ve just been hit with a significant amount of snow.

Prepare for Snow Removal Service

If you aren’t able to clear your own driveway or sidewalks or don’t have your own snow blower or plow,  you may wish to consider hiring a snow removal service to take care of it for you. In this case, you need to contact these services as soon as possible. By waiting until the first snowfall, you may find that most services are too busy to fit you in or the prices may go up due to the large amount of snowfall. Prepare yourself by contacting these services early.

Take Safety Precautions

If you are removing the snow yourself, you also must take special safety precautions. Sadly, many people often suffer a heart attack during this time of year due to the strenuous activity of snow removal. Never try to move too much snow at one time. Shovel at different times throughout the day to prevent the snow from getting too high. Also, be sure you wear boots with traction to prevent falls and wear the proper clothing to prevent frostbite. By keeping these things in mind, you can prevent unnecessary injuries. Snow removal is not something you may want to think about until the snow is actually falling. However, by preparing for it, you can stay one step ahead and keep yourself safe. Furthermore, by securing a snow removal service ahead of time, you can make sure you are at the top of the list for clearing your driveway of snow.