10 Tips for Keeping Your Home Energy Efficient This Holiday Season
The holidays are just around the corner, and most folks have friends and relatives coming in to visit. Parties and other gatherings are more numerous this time of year too, and your home’s energy bill can increase in reflection of your busy home. So, how can you save money on your energy bills during the holiday season? Listed below are 10 suggestions to help your home stay energy efficient this holiday season and the rest of the year.
1. Get LED Lights!
Whether you’re lighting up the Christmas tree or just changing the lightbulbs throughout your home, switch to LEDs. LED light bulbs use less energy and last longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Overtime, they can save you a considerable amount of money!
2. Use Cold Water
Using more cold water is easy, especially when washing your clothes! As often as possible, wash your clothes in cold water. This will help you cut down on energy costs as your hot water heater is a large consumer of energy. Also, try showering in cold water for an extra energy-savings boost!
3. Seal Openings
Any cracks or gaps around your windows and doors should be completely sealed off from the outdoors. Warm air that escapes your home is wasted energy you are paying for. Cracks can also mean cold air is entering and creating a more uncomfortable atmosphere.
4. Change Air Filters
Cleaning or replacing your air filters on a regular basis is important for the health of your home’s air and the health of your HVAC system. If your air filters are dirty, your HVAC system has to work harder (and less efficiently) to warm or cool your home. Changing your air filters allows the system to run effectively and efficiently while keeping your indoor air cleaner.
5. Batch Bake or Cut Down on Oven Usage
When trying to cut down on energy costs, use your microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven when possible, as opposed to your conventional oven. Your oven uses a tremendous amount of energy, not to mention the uncomfortable heat it creates in your kitchen. If you are using your oven, try batch baking! Bake several meals all at once instead of using the oven every day. It will save you time and energy!
6. Keep The Oven Closed
If you must use your oven, don’t peek inside while the food is cooking! Every time you open the door to your oven, the temperature inside can drop 25 degrees causing your oven to use more energy to heat back up (over and over again).
7. Set The Thermostat
During the winter months, try to keep your thermostat set at 68 degrees. Every degree of temperature when heating (or cooling) your home increases energy usage by 6 to 8 percent.
8. Get A Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat can help you better achieve energy savings in correlation with your home’s set temperature. Install a Wifi or programmable thermostat so the temperature in your home stays constant with your schedule. Wifi thermostats can be controlled from basically anywhere using your smartphone, computer, or tablet. Having the temperature on your home set to your schedule can save as much as 20% on your energy bill.
For instance, there is no need to keep the temperature higher inside your home in the winter time if you’re not there. A Wifi or programmable thermostat can be set to your work, school, vacation, or errand schedule to warm or cool your home based on when you’re actually there.
9. Reverse Ceiling Fans
Reversing your ceiling fans as the weather gets colder allows warm air to be pushed downward in the center of the room before spreading out and rising back up again. The clockwise direction gets warm air to disperse more evenly, creating a more comfortable atmosphere in a room.
10. Invest In High-Efficiency HVAC
Last but not least, a new high-efficiency American Standard HVAC system from Garrison and Garrison could cut your energy bill in half! Most high efficiency HVAC systems are rated with at least an 18 SEER rating, and some go as high as a 22 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). If you replace your older 10 SEER system with a 20 SEER system, your new system will operate 50% more efficiently, i.e. it will use 50% less energy to warm or cool your home.
Today’s high efficiency systems also operate with a variable speed or multi-stage compressor. That means the compressor runs almost all the time, but at varying speeds. Older, single stage HVAC systems use the largest amount of energy by constantly cutting on and off at full speed. By consistently running at different speeds, variable speed systems eliminate the constant high energy usage of starting and stopping the system.
A continuous air flow from a high efficiency system also cuts down on the humidity in your home by continuously replacing and circulating your indoor air. You will actually feel more comfortable at a higher temperature (in the summer) or a lower temperature in the winter because the humidity in your home has been reduced. In turn, this means even more energy savings as well.
Contact The Professionals
If saving money is important to you, a new high-efficiency comfort system may be the way to go. Contact Garrison & Garrison to ask us about our systems and FREE in-home estimates today! Give us a call at (256) 859-8500 or email us at [email protected] with any questions.
Garrison & Garrison is a trusted American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning Customer Care Dealer in Huntsville, AL. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more helpful information regarding your HVAC system. energy efficient this holiday season energy efficient this holiday season energy efficient this holiday season energy efficient this holiday season
