Easy Ways to Winterize Your Home

Cold weather is approaching and it’s a great time to consider ways to winterize your home to help you spend less energy and money this season.

Understand your energy spend – a logical first step is to audit your energy usage. A home energy audit can give you a baseline of your energy spend and help determine where you can save the most, as well as which big and small investments could be beneficial for long term energy savings.

Manage your thermostat – consider lowering your thermostat a bit when you are home and awake. During sleeping hours or when you are away, turning the temperature back a few degrees can help provide additional savings. Investing in a smart thermostat that can make it easy to control your home’s temperature without having to set it manually.

Inspect your home for leaks – locating and sealing leaks around windows, chimney gaps, recessed lights and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets that are allowing cold air inside will help keep your home warm and require less effort from your heating unit. Also, consider using tight fitting, insulating drapes or blinds to help keep out the chill from the windows.

Maintain your fireplace – using a fireplace is not only a lovely sight in the winter, but an energy savings as well. However, it is important to take steps to reduce heat loss when it is not in use. Close the damper when the fireplace is not in use. An open damper is like having an open window and allows warm air to go out the chimney. Also be sure to check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible.

Reduce your water temperature – turning down the temperature of your water heater to 120°F will save energy and reduce the potential of scalding burns.

Use energy-efficient holiday lights – LED light strands are both brighter and more energy efficient than traditional lights, thus you will save energy and money as well as saving the cost of replacing them as often.

Enroll in a fixed rate energy plan – many consumers have the power to choose an energy supplier like AEP Energy to manage the supply portion of their energy bills. Energy suppliers can offer market-based rates that may be lower than the utility. When you choose AEP Energy you enjoy secure energy supply prices while receiving the same service and bill from your local utility. You can see all our energy options in your area here!

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