7 Ways to Cut your Energy Bill This Winter

Are you sick and tired of paying outlandishly high energy bills each and every winter? Make this winter the year that you finally put an end to overspending your hard earned money on heating your home. Fortunately, cutting your energy bills is easier than most think.

1. Set & Forget – If your home has a programmable thermostat, set the temperature of your home 10 degrees lower than normal for eight hours each day. This should be done while you’re at work or while you’re sleeping. For those who don’t have a programmable thermostat, what are you waiting for?
2. Water Heater Temperature – The hot water heater should always be set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything more than this is unnecessary and wasteful of energy. If yours isn’t set to this, do it now!
3. Seal Windows – Check each window in your home to see if it properly fits its frame. If there is a slight draft, use caulking to seal the exterior edges of the window. Afterward, add weatherstripping on the interior side of the window.
4. Plumbing Gaps – Check under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to see where the plumbing enters the wall. Sometimes there will be gaps that can allow heat to escape (and pests to enter). Use a spray foam insulation to fill the gap and eliminate a rather large air leak in your home.
5. New Furnace Filters – The air filters in your furnace should be changed roughly once per month. Failure to change out old filters for new ones will result in an impeded airflow that can cause your heating system to work harder. This is a simple maintenance task that takes no more than a few minutes.
6. Insulate Plumbing – For all of the plumbing pipes that are exposed in your home, wrap them in foam insulation. Not only will this save you on your heating costs, it will also lower your chances of having a pipe burst when temperatures reach below freezing.
7. HVAC Service – Before the winter temperatures become brutally freezing, have your heating system serviced by a professional technician. Doing so will ensure that there are no malfunctioning parts that could cause your system to break down mid-winter. A quick service will provide you with an efficient heating system that won’t leave you sitting in the cold.

Every homeowner would love to pay less on their energy bills, and it’s extremely easy to do just that. When you need a professional to service your heating system, contact Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. To learn more, or to schedule a service, give us a call at (717) 207-8198.