Five Tips to Help You Stay Comfortable and Save Energy this Fall
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The season is changing, and cool weather will soon be upon us! If you’re looking to keep your home comfortable this Fall while reducing energy costs, check out these five tips from the experts at ENERGY STAR.
The season is changing, and cool weather will soon be upon us! If you’re looking to keep your home comfortable this Fall while reducing energy costs, check out these five tips from the experts at ENERGY STAR.
Tip 1: Seal and insulate to keep warm air in and cold air out
To ensure the warm air inside your home isn’t escaping and making your heating system work harder, you’ll want to seal any air leaks around your home and also ensure your attic has sufficient insulation. Not only is it a great step to complete in the Fall before the onset of colder weather, sealing and insulating your attic can help you save around 10% on your annual energy bills. When sealing, pay close attention to your attic and basement or crawl space, and look for any holes around your attic hatch, plumbing vent, chimney, or flue, and around heating or cooling ducts as these areas tend to experience the most losses. If you want to crack a window in the Fall to let in some fresh air, set a time limit and aim to do it when it has less impact on your heating system – like midday when it's warmer and there’s less of a temperature difference.
Tip 2: Stay on top of HVAC Maintenance
An easy way to keep your heating systems working properly during the Fall and Winter is to make sure you regularly change your HVAC filters and schedule your annual maintenance. Check your filter monthly – especially during heavy use months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm, which wastes energy. Likewise, a clean filter will prevent dust and dirt from building up, which helps to reduce maintenance and repair costs. Aim to replace your filter when it’s dirty, or at least every three months, and be sure to regularly tune up your HVAC – similar to how you tune up your car.
Tip 3: Use a Smart Thermostat to control your household temps
Your home’s heating and cooling costs account for nearly half of your annual energy use – which, for the average American household, is approximately $900 per year. While it may be common practice to leave your thermostat consistently at a preferred temperature setting, that is not the most efficient – and may not be the most comfortable – experience for your household. The most efficient way to manage your temperatures is by using a smart thermostat, which can learn your preferences and automatically adjust for comfort or energy efficiency without you having to manually monitor and adjust things. While your thermostat, in and of itself, does not use much energy, it's a key factor in saving energy at home as it controls your heating and cooling systems which are the biggest energy users. Simply upgrading your thermostat to an ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat is a relatively inexpensive project that can reduce your heating and cooling bill by about $50 to $100 a year, on average. And for residences that you’re not consistently occupying (rental or vacation home) those savings jump to about $300 a year.
Tip 4: Look into ways to save with your local utility
Your local utility is a great resource for energy-saving tips, rebates on energy efficient products, and also programs that offer incentives based on age, income, off-peak energy usage, and green power usage. Make sure to check the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder for rebates on a wide variety of ENERGY STAR certified products.
Tip 5: Take advantage of big incentives to level up your home’s heating and cooling systems
Efficient heating and cooling is part of an ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade, which is a set of high-impact energy efficiency home improvement projects that are designed to work together to deliver significant energy and cost savings. Upgrading your heating and cooling system to a super-efficient heat pump can have a significant impact on your heating and cooling costs. Additionally, there are a number of ENERGY STAR certified heating and cooling products that qualify for financial incentives, such as federal tax credits, and state rebates. You can learn more about these upgrades and find big incentives that are available in your area by exploring the ENERGY STAR Home Savings Tool.
For more tips from ENERGY STAR on how to save energy at home, browse our full collection of Ask the Expert articles.