Guest Blog: How to Lower Your Energy Bill this Winter with Efficiency Vermont

Vermont’s long, cold winter months are here. With them come chilly temperatures that put more pressure on your heating and other energy bills, and your household budget overall.  Efficiency Vermont helps Vermonters save energy and money. Follow their tips to lower your monthly energy costs and make your home more comfortable when it’s cold outside.

7 Ways to Lower your Electric Bill this Winter

1. Close the Damper

If you own a fireplace, close the damper when there isn’t a fire. An open fireplace damper pulls warm air out of your house, so close it once the ashes have gone cold.

2. Replace Filters

Clean or replace your heating system filters every few months to improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Consult the manual for the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule.

3. Don’t Block the Heat

Dust or vacuum radiators, baseboard heaters, and furnace duct openings, and be sure not to block them with furniture, carpets, or drapes.

4. Get a Pre-Winter Tune-Up

An annual pre-winter tune-up helps your water heater, furnace or boiler run more efficiently and last longer.

5. Get a Virtual Home Energy Assessment

Knowledge is power when it comes to making your home more comfortable. Efficiency Vermont offers free Virtual Home Energy Visits to help identify the most impactful solutions for your home. An energy expert will provide customized advice and give you the confidence to move forward with whatever projects you choose.

6. Air-Seal Your Home

Stop drafts with weather-stripping and caulking. Seal gaps and cracks with caulking, weather-strip windows and doors, and fill any large gaps in basement crawl spaces, dryer vents, windows, and foundations.

7. Use Curtains & Shades

Use the sun’s heat to warm up rooms in winter or keep it out in summer.

How: In the winter, open curtains or blinds during the day and close them at night to keep that warm air in. In the summer, do the opposite: close window shades and curtains on windows that get a lot of sun during the day.

Why: your home will stay at a more comfortable temperature, and you’ll need the heater less in the winter and AC less in the summer

3 More Tips to Help You Save Energy

Winter in Vermont means dark mornings and evenings. This shortage of light, in turn, means your lights are on longer, and this could add up on your energy bills. Make sure that you are doing what you can to minimize usage and that your bulbs are as energy efficient as possible. Read on to learn more about how you can reduce your energy consumption at home.

1. Use Outdoor Lighting Only When Needed

Outdoor lighting is a great way to help keep your home safe and secure, especially as nights get longer. But leaving exterior lights on overnight can be costly. You can try to make a habit of turning off outdoor lights before going to bed at night, but another solution could be to put these lights on timers or motion detectors. This will automatically turn lights on and off only when you need them. Motion detectors are also an effective way to deter overnight theft or crime.

2. Consider Solar Lighting Fixtures for the Outside of Your Home

Outdoor lighting products with photocells or photo sensors allow lights to come on only when the sun is down. All ENERGY STAR® qualified outdoor fixtures come with photocells or photo sensors.

3. Switch Bulbs in High Use Places

Switch to ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs in the lights you use the most to prepare for darker nights this fall and winter. If you don’t have the resources or time to replace all the bulbs in your home, you’ll enjoy savings from switching one ENERGY STAR LED bulb. This single step will be one of the best you can take to save money on lighting.

Remember: Heating & Energy Help for Seniors is Available

Don’t wait for a heating emergency or an empty fuel tank to reach out for support. The State of Vermont offers energy assistance and fuel assistance to income-eligible Vermonters, plus an emergency heating system repair or replacement program. They are run through Vermont’s community action agencies. You can apply for fuel assistance online using the State of Vermont MyBenefits portal, which can also be used to apply for programs like 3SquaresVT (also known as EBT, formerly known as Food Stamps.)

Wood banks, like Wood 4 Good, can also support families in need by giving qualified families a free delivery of firewood. Learn about free home weatherization for income-eligible Vermonters through the state’s Weatherization Assistance Programs.  Lower-income renters and homeowners may be eligible for free appliances, energy audits, heat pumps, LEDs and more. You can call Efficiency Vermont to determine your eligibility.

You can learn more about Efficiency Vermont by visiting efficiencyvermont.com/about. Not sure where to start? Give Efficiency Vermont a call at 1-888-921-5990.