While Texas summers are always a beating on electricity usage with having to run the air conditioning virtually nonstop, summer isn’t the only season that can result in high electricity bills. As this cooler season begins, we wanted to give everyone just a few easy energy saving tips to keep your energy bill as low as possible this fall.
1. Change the Direction of Your Ceiling Fans
Did you know that your ceiling fans have two different directions? While during the summer your fan keeps you cool, in the fall and winter, your fan can keep you warmer too. Make sure your ceiling fan is rotating clockwise, so that it will push the warm air down and help keep your heating costs down.
2. Replace Your HVAC Filter
For optimal system performance, it’s best to change your HVAC filter every month, but it’s extremely important to change it after summer ends. When you don’t replace your filter, it becomes clogged and causes you to use unnecessary excess energy to maintain your home’s desired temperature, not to mention it puts additional strain on your HVAC system.
3. Check for Draft Spots
Inspect your home for where air could be escaping around windows, doors and electric sockets. Seal off air leaks by weatherstripping the doors and caulking the windows. Your fireplace is also a common spot for drafts if the damper isn’t kept shut. It can be easy to detect the major air leaks, but the small leaks can be just as damaging when you’re trying to save on energy. There are a few ways you can go about detecting air leaks in your home. When it’s all said and done, you could save as much as 20% on your heating bill thanks to no more air leaks.
4. Switch to LED Light Bulbs Inside and Out
As the days get shorter, our light bulb usage time gets longer. Not only do the shorter days mean that we are using our lights more, but with the holidays, any lighted decorations also put you in jeopardy of facing another one of those high electricity bills. Don’t worry, you don’t have to live in the dark all fall long. You just need to switch out all your light bulbs to LED lights, and many holiday decorations already use LED lights. Not only do they last longer than your traditional incandescent light bulbs, but they also use up to 75% less energy!
5. Take Advantage of the Sun…It’s FREE
The absolute best of all our energy saving tips is to use the source of light and heat that we have – the sun! In the morning, before you go to work, open the curtains on the windows that get the most sunlight. During the day, they’ll let the rays of the sun warm your house, and then close the curtains when you get home to lock in that free heat. Also taking advantage of the sun for light during the day can help to reduce your light usage.
Even just by following these 5 energy saving tips, you should see a large reduction in your electricity bill. However, if you want to know that you’ll never have to be bogged down with ridiculously high electricity bills again, contact WattDawg! We’ll help find you the best energy provider and plan so that you can enjoy life without stressing about the electric bill. To figure out what you could be saving, and to give us an idea of how we could help you and your family save on electricity, use our energy savings calculator.
