Low Cost Ways to Save Energy
Open the window blinds on sunny winter days, close the blinds at night
Close off unused rooms
In addition to closing the doors, also consider closing off the vents to those unused rooms.
Watch for freezing pipes, though.
Lower heating temperature setpoint at night and when away from house
A programmable thermostat is best for this. If your current thermostat is not programmable, upgrading to a programmable thermostat is easy and relatively cheap.
The “ideal” sleeping temperature is 60-67 °F, so lowering the heat setting may improve your sleep quality.
Substantially lowering the setpoint may not be possible with heat pumps or in-floor heating, as those systems may not have sufficient capacity to bring the temperature back up quickly.
Change your furnace or heat pump air filter every three months
Use foam gaskets on switch plates and outlets
Use foam insulating gaskets behind light switch and wall outlet covers, on exterior walls
Keep your wood stove flue clear of debris
Only burn dry hardwood in your wood stove
Avoid raising the setpoint to higher than normal when you turn on your heat
It won’t heat your home any faster and could result in high energy costs if you forget to lower it back to its normal temperature setpoint.
Add shrink film (window insulation kit) to windows during the winter months
Every one of these tips can be done for less than $200.
Do you have an energy saving tip you'd like to see on this list? Please send your tips to: info@vced.energy