Winter is here, and it brought its beauty and holiday mood along. The biting cold, however, might be something even your bank account has felt, thanks to the high electric bill. You might think surviving through the Winter on a budget is a death sentence but it is not. It is very much doable. As much as we showed you how to save on utilities such as electricity bills when it comes to winter energy saving tips, you are going to need more details.

How to lower electric bill in winter

Keep your warm clothes on

If you keep your sweater, socks and any other warm clothes on, you can turn your thermostat down. A range of 68°F during winter on your thermostat will help you lower your energy consumption and save you some bucks. With your warm clothes on, this range is more than ideal in keeping you warm. Additionally, for those periods you are out of the house, or sleeping lower the range to 55°F.

Hopefully, you did not throw away your warm clothes during summer. In case you did, or you want to shop for more, Chicgal is the place to go for ladies. Gentlemen, Bombfell will help you get the right warm clothes for winter. EricDress offers apparels for both men and women, and have great choices to choose from too. 

Do you have a thermostat?

If your answer is yes, have you programmed it accordingly or you adjust it manually? The manual adjustment system works. However, to avoid too much hassle plus the long wait for the temperatures to adjusts when you get home, then you need to go digital. A programmable thermostat adjusts the temperatures for you according to your settings and usage. That way, when you are away from home or sleeping, it will adjust the temperatures to normal before you get up or arrive.

Was your answer no? Walmart and Bestbuy have got your back.  Purchase a programmable thermostat and lower your electric bill in winter.

What is the temperature of your water heater?

In addition to this, turn down your water heater to at least 120 degrees. The hotter you set your water heater the more energy it consumes. This leads to a higher electric bill, which is what we are trying to avoid this winter. At 120 degrees, you will still be able to take a hot shower, and still save some bucks.

Use LED lights instead

For your Christmas decorations, use LED lights instead of Incandescent Lights. Actually, theDepartment of Energy encourages people to switch to LED lights for energy saving purposes. According to them, LED lights will last 25 times longer than the incandescent Lights. Their energy usage is also 75% less. So, if you are going to put your winter decorations for like a week, how much will you have saved by switching to LED lights?

The LED lights do not only apply to your Christmas decorations but also other lightings in the house. Replace all the incandescent lights in the house with LED lights this winter for a chance to save on energy consumption.

Is tracking the money you save on the electric bill this winter a hard task? Trim will help you.

Seal any leaks

According to the Energy Department, one of the ways to save on your energy bills is sealing any leaks. The simplest ways to do this are weather-stripping and caulking. In case there are air leaks on moving components like windows or doors, then weather-stripping will work. For openings or cracks between stationary components, get someone to do some caulking for you.

This includes closing your fireplace damper when you are not using the fireplace. Additionally, a clean chimney reduces heat loss so have yours cleaned to help you save this winter.

Get more tips on how to seal air leaks and save some bucks this winter.  

Service your furnace

A cleaner furnace ensures efficiency. The more efficient the furnace, the lower the energy is used up. This, of course, translates to a lower electric bill. In case you have not serviced your furnace this year, the ideal time to do so is before the winter cold kicks in. You can get a professional to do the servicing for you.

Where possible, get yourself an Energy Star-certified furnace to help you save at least 20% on heating cost. Energy Star-certified furnaces are 15% more efficient than their peers.

Upgrading your appliances

Newer appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers and the rest are Energy Star qualified. Most of the new ones anyway, so confirm before purchasing one. This will help you reduce your energy consumption this winter.

With all the cooking this winter and the lengths of times spent indoors, these appliances will be running a lot. If you can upgrade your appliances, you stand a chance of saving on electric bills in winter. Take dishwashers, for example, energy star qualified ones are 40% efficient more than the rest. An energy star qualified fridge is likely to be 50% more efficient than the old models in terms of energy consumption.

In case you are wondering where to get that money, maybe sell the old appliances and top up the balance.

Read more on Apps to use to sell stuff.     

Work on your furniture setting

To keep you away from any chills that escape through the windows and doors, move your furniture to more suitable areas. And by suitable, I mean away from drafty doors and windows. Failure to do this leads to turning your thermostat to higher degrees, which leads to consumption of more energy.

What might be bothering you more is why your electricity bill has shot up during winter. Here is why;

Reasons why your Electric Bill has Shot Up During Winter

Lower temperatures

The lower the temperatures, the more work your heating appliances do. And it goes without saying, the higher the electric bill. You, therefore, need to come up with a plan that keeps your house warm during this cold season, while still saving you some dollars.

Holiday décor

The Christmas decorations you put up are not going to power themselves. The more the decorations you put up, the more your electric bill shoots up. Therefore, be careful of the kind of decorations you put up. Only use those that will help you in this winter energy saving journey.

Spending more time at home

With schools on break, most jobs closing for the holidays and, of course, all the freezing outside, you end up spending more time indoors. However, this comes at a cost- more heat is needed to keep the house habitable, as well as running all the electronics for entertainment purposes. We are not blaming you though. Boredom in your own house is the last thing we want for you this winter season. However, that electric bill will keep increasing when you spend more time indoors- if you are not careful.

If you have already saved on your electric bill, let us know which winter energy saving tips you have used. In case you are wondering how to lower electric bill in winter, use some of our tips and let us know how it goes. Maybe upgrade your appliances. If you were not planning on buying new appliances, then adjust your thermostat accordingly, keep those warm clothes on and service your furnace. Whichever method you choose, we hope you will keep warm this winter.

Source: https://www.everybuckcounts.com/winter-energy-saving-tips-survive-the-cold-on-a-budget/