Whether you love winter or you’re counting the days till spring returns, there’s no denying that cold weather is right around the corner. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to stay cozy in Auburn, Alabama, without wasting energy. From sealing up your home to scheduling an HVAC tune-up, take a look at six ways to prepare for cooler temperatures.
Seal Your Home Against Cold Drafts
When you really want to save energy, your first step should be sealing warm air in and cold air out. Start small, and check for drafts around your windows and doors. Apply weatherstripping to both window frames and doorframes, or add a draft stopper to exterior doors. If you notice cool drafts around baseboards or near pipes and exhaust vents, use caulk to seal the leaks.
Next, take a look at your attic, which is another potential source of air leaks and energy loss. If you can see your attic joists sticking out through the insulation, there’s a good chance you need to add more. If you want to try something a little different than traditional insulation rolls and batts, we have just the thing. At Sensigreen Heating, Cooling & Insulation, we offer spray foam insulation, which is an energy-efficient alternative to fiberglass or cellulose.
Take Advantage of the Sun’s Warmth
Even when the mercury starts to drop, the sun offers plenty of warmth. You might want to close curtains and blinds to keep out the heat in the summer, but you should open them wide when the weather starts to cool.
As a general wintertime rule, keep draperies and blinds open during the day, and close them when the sun goes down. If you don’t have curtains, consider installing them. They can reduce heat loss by up to 10 percent, which adds up to big energy savings.
Check Your Furnace
Before you crank up your furnace to stave off the winter chill, be sure to have your heating system checked. Skipping annual maintenance makes your HVAC system more likely to operate inefficiently, waste energy, and be susceptible to breakdowns when you least expect them.
Our team offers convenient and affordable heating system tune-ups that will help you start the heating season on a positive note. From changing the air filter to cleaning the system to checking the wiring, our comprehensive maintenance checklist ensures that you’ll stay cozy and warm all season long without wasting valuable heat.
Adjust Your Thermostat
Smart thermostats are ideal for saving energy during Auburn’s hot, humid summers, and these devices do the same when the temperature starts to drop. When you switch your smart thermostat over to heat mode, set the normal temperature to around 68 degrees. When you know you’ll be at work or asleep, dial the temperature back by about 10 degrees. Program your thermostat to kick on about 30 minutes before you plan to return home or wake up, and you’ll never notice the chill.
You will notice the energy savings, though. Dialing back your thermostat by 10 degrees for at least eight hours a day helps you save as much as 10 percent on your annual heating and cooling bill.
Insulate Your Water Heater
Your water heater can be a substantial source of energy loss during the winter, even if you try to take shorter showers and baths. First, reduce your energy usage by turning down the water heater’s temperature to 140 degrees. Then wrap it with an insulating blanket to hold the heat in during this chilly season.
Prepare for Power Outages
If you’ve lived in the Auburn area for long, you know that storms can cause power outages all year long. In the winter, you don’t want to let a storm catch you unprepared. Make sure you have a portable generator handy, along with fuel to power it. Keep flashlights, batteries, and heavy blankets close at hand, and stock up on enough non-perishable food to keep you going for about a week.
Is your home ready for winter weather? For insulation, heating system checkups, and other cold weather concerns, contact us at Sensigreen Heating, Cooling & Insulation: (334) 366-9237.
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