Tips to save energy in cold weather - Carolina Country

Energy Saving Tips for Winter

A roundup of past cold-weather recommendations

By Jonathan Susser

Energy Saving Tips for Winter

Q: My energy bills always seem especially high during wintertime. What are some of your top recommendations for trying to keep them in check?

A:Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and bah humbug to higher energy bills (I’m still workshopping that last one, but it seems appropriate for the season). In this column, we’ve put together a “Best of” from some of our previous cold weather-related articles to help reduce winter wincing.

Monitoring energy use and searching for clues

Tracking your energy bills can provide insights into how your home is performing, and as electric co-ops continue to upgrade the power grid, it’s becoming easier to do so.

Many co-ops offer apps or web portals that let you see how much electricity you are consuming. (Contact your co-op for information about accessing usage data online.) If you see something suspicious on your bills — maybe you’re paying a lot more this winter than last — one culprit could be heat loss. Here’s a way to look for evidence: Check out the homes in your neighborhood. If yours is the only one without frost on its roof, that might signal that heat is exiting your home and warming up and thawing the ice and snow above.

This escaping heat could affect your energy usage (because your heating system will need to work to replace it) and comfort, in terms of temperature and air movement. Addressing it will likely require a combination of air sealing and insulating.

Optimizing heating system use

Tracking your energy bills can provide insights into how your home is performing, and as electric co-ops continue to upgrade the power grid, it’s becoming easier to do so.

Being more aware of how you run your heating system will make you a smarter energy user, and hopefully help you save. For example, what temperature do you leave your thermostat on when you’re at home? How about when you’re away? Try setting it as low as you can tolerate, and a few degrees lower when you’ll be out for a while. If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, review your schedules to ensure they still fit your current routines. If you have a heat pump, though, it’s best to make smaller temperature changes to prevent energy-intensive auxiliary heat from coming on when you return the thermostat to your desired setting.

Aim to keep your actual heating system in tiptop shape, too. Maintain shrubs at least two feet from the outside unit, change the air filter per manufacturer specifications, make sure any refrigerant lines exposed to outdoor temperatures are wrapped with foam insulation, and hire a contractor to service the equipment at least once per year.

If you’re in the market for a new heating and cooling system, more advanced heat pump models are highly efficient, even in colder weather. You may be able to find relevant incentives through your co-op or a federal rebate/tax credit program.

So consider these actions the next time you’re cozying up, sipping hot chocolate — they may stop your energy bills from biting as hard as the cold. If you have any additional concerns about your energy use or making payments, don’t hesitate to contact your electric co-op.

To read more...

...about the topics discussed in this article, check out these archived On the House columns:

About the Author

Jonathan Susser is a writer and editor for Advanced Energy in Raleigh.

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