With the winter weather still knocking on our doors, most homeowners and business owners alike are experiencing an increase in their utility bills, and especially their electric bills. During the winter months heating systems are used on a daily basis, because of shortened daylight, the lights are kept on for an extended period of time and being confined to the home warrants the use of entertainment devices such as television, computers, microwaves and other electronics more often. With that said, Gervais Electric, Inc. has some simple but important steps you can take to minimize electric costs this winter.
HOW TO MINIMIZE ELECTRIC COSTS
Programmable thermostat – With today’s smart programmable thermostats, cutting down on your heating system usage, which contributes to a reduction in your electric bill, is ever so easy. With a smart thermostat you can program when your heating system will turn on and turn off during the day and night. Working away from home, typically means there is no need for the heat to be running all day. A programmable thermostat allows you to set the time you want the heat to kick on and also affords you the convenience of controlling the temperatures in your home when you are away at work, business or on vacation. Lowering your heat to 60 degrees while you sleep is another simple way of reducing heat and electric costs.- Proper use of your shutters and blinds – A simple but effective way of conserving energy and reducing electricity costs in your home is to open up shutters and blinds in those rooms that are south facing during the daytime allowing for the natural sunlight to come in and closing them down in the evening hours. The natural sunlight offers heat to your home at no cost and certainly contributes to minimized heating and electric bills.
- Seal your chimney flue when not in use –When you leave your chimney flue open you allow a good amount of the warm air within your living space to escape the home and an abundant amount of cold air from the outside to make its way in. Be sure to seal the chimney flue and ensure that your dryer vents are closed properly as well.
- Shut the doors in unused rooms –If you have rooms in your house that are not used regularly, then closing the doors and vents can help you to minimize electric costs and heating costs as well. There is no reason to heat rooms that are unoccupied or not used, since doing so only adds to your monthly utility bills.
- Use fans to circulate air in your living space- Set your ceiling fans on a low speed to circulate air upward toward the ceiling. Use of your ceiling fans in this way will help to force the warmer air at the ceiling level, to move downward and provide additional warmth to your living space.
- Turn off lights when not in use – Since the days are shorter in the wintertime and daylight is reduced, it is only common that individuals tend to leave their lights on for longer periods of time. However, whether winter, spring, summer or fall, turning off lights when you leave a room will always help to minimize electric costs and ultimately save you a good deal of money.
Programmable thermostat – With today’s smart programmable thermostats, cutting down on your heating system usage, which contributes to a reduction in your electric bill, is ever so easy. With a smart thermostat you can program when your heating system will turn on and turn off during the day and night. Working away from home, typically means there is no need for the heat to be running all day. A programmable thermostat allows you to set the time you want the heat to kick on and also affords you the convenience of controlling the temperatures in your home when you are away at work, business or on vacation. Lowering your heat to 60 degrees while you sleep is another simple way of reducing heat and electric costs.PROFESSIONALS YOU CAN TRUST
Adhering to these simple but practical steps can surely help you to minimize electric costs during the frigid winter months and still allow the atmospheres in your home to be comfortable. For more information on reducing utility bills or if you are in need of any type of electrical services, be sure to reach out to Gervais Electric, Inc. today. We look forward to serving you and to providing you with the best all round electrical products and services this side of Franklin!
