Prepare For A Winter Of Low Electricity Usage

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How to Keep Your Cool When the Mercury is Rising

When the heat is rising to record-breaking levels, it can be really tough to stay cool. This summer, I found that my air conditioner had trouble keeping up with the temperatures. It wasn't that the AC wasn't working, it was just that I couldn't seem to get my house cooled down as much as I wanted. I worried that I would have to replace the whole AC system. Luckily, I have a good friend who works as an HVAC contractor. He took a look at my system and gave good news -- it didn't need to be replaced. Instead, he shared a lot of tips for helping my air conditioner work more efficiently, as well as some ideas to help supplement the AC and keep the house cooler. I'm using those tips to create this blog to share ways for all of us to keep cool on the hottest days.

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Prepare For A Winter Of Low Electricity Usage

12 December 2018
 Categories: , Blog

Winter is hard on the electricity bills. The cooler temperatures, the shorter days, the need for entertainment – all of these things contribute to the higher electricity bills during the winter. Here, you'll find a few tips that will help you reduce your electricity consumption this year.

Service the Heating System

Whether your furnace is heated with gas or electricity, you need to have the system serviced to ensure that it is operating as efficiently as possible. You see, even gas furnaces require electricity to operate, so if they aren't serviced and cleaned each year, they will have to work harder to produce the same amount of heat.

Having the heating system serviced before it breaks down will not only help to keep the system running efficiently, but it will also help to ensure that the system doesn't break down on the coldest day of the year and help you avoid those emergency repair fees.

Upgrade to a Programmable Thermostat

This one small change can go a long way in lowering your electricity bill this year. Instead of your furnace running all night long and while you're away, you can set the timer on the thermostat to have the temperature decreased while you're in bed and while you're away. You can then set the timer to increase the temperature just before you get up in the morning or just before you plan to get home. Just decreasing the temperature a couple of degrees will decrease the bill greatly.

Switch to LED Lights

LED lights may seem expensive when you go to buy them, but they use substantially less electricity than non-LED bulbs. If you buy the bulbs in bulk, you can get them at a lower cost. Two things to keep in mind when selecting your LED lights –

  1. Check the bulb wattage and the limitations on the light fixture. You need to make sure that you're not using a higher wattage bulb than the light fixture is meant to use – it could spark a fire.
  2. If you don't like the light of the LED bulbs that you've tried, opt for a different tone – you can find a nice clean light that you're comfortable with if you take the time to look. Instead of buying and trying, you can visit your local home improvement store and take a look at the display. Most of the time, they will have at least one type of each tone illuminated for you to compare.

Start making small changes now, and by this time next year, you'll be prepared for a winter of low electric usage.