Nine Winter Energy Saving Tips

9 WINTER ENERGY SAVING TIPS

Submitted by Sean Welsh, Community Energy Advisor

With still a couple months left until the heat gets turned off, and the return of warmer weather, these tips to help lower energy costs can go a long way. Furnaces are by far one of the biggest energy expenses, heating and cooling our homes involves the largest energy users in residential buildings.

• Turning down the thermostat one degree can save an average of 2% of your costs per degree lowered. Throwing on a sweater and installing a programmable thermostat can help the temperature controls track this for you and save. • An oil furnace should be serviced annually and keeping it running as efficient as possible will save around 10% of your cost yearly. • If you have forced air heat, the filter should be cleaned monthly. • Hot water or steam heat users can have a professional check the water levels and check the system annually to ensure it is working best throughout the home. • Making sure that the area around the furnace is clean and clear helps with airflow to the furnace and protects from fire. • Make sure to check the area around radiators, return vents and heating registers is cleared so the heat can

travel without blockages to living areas. • Looking into a home energy audit and ways to add insulation and air sealing to your home can also keep heat in the home and help with both warming in the winter and cooling in the summer resulting in long term savings- For more info on energy audits reach out to sw288@cornell.edu. • Don’t forget that when heating and cooling equipment is in need of replacing, to check in with your electric utility for rebates and incentives to help ease costs for some of this equipment.

Electric utilities also offer discounts on things like light bulbs and other home technologies to help consumers save even more. • For those thinking about new clean heating and cooling technologies, NYS has rebates on air source and ground source heat pumps, Energy Educator and Community Energy

Advisor Sean Welsh can be reached out to for more information at sw288@ cornell.edu, 845 292 6180 ext 127.

Sources: Home Heating Systems. Energy.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/ home-heating-systems Winter energy saving tips. Cornell Cooperative Extension. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from http://madisoncountycce.org/ energy/energy-saving-tips/ winter-energy-saving-tips