The winter months often lead to higher utility bills as we crank up the heat to stay warm. Similarly, summer’s sweltering temperatures have us blasting the air conditioning to beat the heat. However, there are many ways to reduce heating cooling costs and keep more money in your pocket without sacrificing comfort. This comprehensive guide outlines tips and strategies for lowering your heating bill and cooling costs while also helping the environment. Reducing heating and cooling costs can have a big impact on your budget and carbon footprint.
Why It’s Important to Reduce Heating and Cooling Costs
There are two key reasons why homeowners should make an effort to reduce heating cooling costs:
1. Save money. Heating and cooling costs account for nearly half of a typical household’s energy expenditures. By decreasing your home’s energy consumption, you can realize significant savings on your annual energy costs.
2. Help the planet. Heating and cooling homes generates a tremendous amount of greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change. Implementing more energy efficiency measures at home is one impactful way to reduce your carbon footprint.
How Heating and Cooling Systems Work
To understand where potential savings exist, it helps to first understand what makes heating and AC systems tick.
Heating Systems
There are several types of heating systems used to heat your home, with furnaces and heat pumps being the most common.
- Furnaces burn fuel like natural gas, propane, or heating oil to produce hot air that’s blown through ductwork to warm your rooms.
- Heat pumps move heat between indoor and outdoor air to provide both heating and cooling.
Factors like an old unit’s age and inefficient design can make your heating system work harder than necessary, driving up costs. Insufficient insulation and air leaks also lead to heat loss that must constantly be replaced by your heating system.
Cooling Systems
Air conditioners and heat pumps comprise most home cooling systems. Air conditioners use refrigerant to remove heat from indoor air and release it outdoors. Heat pumps can reverse their heating operation to provide cooling in summer months.
Inefficient operation, low refrigerant, dirty filters, leaky ducts, and poor insulation cause AC systems to work harder to maintain comfort. Solar heat gain through windows and other openings also adds to the cooling load.
Tips for Reducing Heating Costs
When winter’s frigid temps have you turning up the thermostat, employ these practical tips to reduce heating cooling costs:
Maintain Your Heating System
Just as routine oil changes boost your car’s performance, annual maintenance keeps your heating system running efficiently. Maintenance visits ensure components like blower motors, burners, and heat exchangers are operating properly. Technicians can also check refrigerant levels and ductwork for leaks.
Install a Programmable or Smart Thermostat
These thermostats allow you to customize temperatures for certain times of day. Program them to automatically reduce heat to around 60°F while you’re asleep or away at work to save up to 10% on bills. Smart thermostats learn your schedule and make their own adjustments!
Seal Air Leaks
Cracks and gaps let heated indoor air escape while allowing cold outside air to infiltrate your home. Over time this heat loss forces your system to work harder. Caulk and weatherstrip windows, doors, pipes, vents, and any openings to your outside walls.
Let the Sun Shine In
On sunny winter days, open blinds or curtains to allow solar heat to warm your rooms for free. Close them at night for insulation. Strategically placed trees, shrubs and buildings can also block cold winter winds.
Strategies to Lower Cooling Costs
Use these tips when summer’s sweltering temperatures have you cranking the AC:
Adjust the Thermostat
Set your programmable thermostat to 78°F when occupying your home and warmer when away. Each degree higher saves up to 5% on cooling costs. Avoid drastic temperature swings which make systems work harder.
Run Ceiling Fans
Use ceiling fans to keep air circulating. They make rooms feel 4°F cooler through wind chill effects. Run them clockwise on low in summer and counterclockwise on low during winter months.
Upgrade Windows
Installing energy efficient windows blocks solar heat gain, keeps cool air inside, and allows less heat transmission through glass. Optimal window frames are vinyl, fiberglass or wood versus metal. Consider double-paned glass.
Service Your AC System
Just like your heating system, annual tune-ups improve efficiency by ensuring refrigerant levels, ductwork, filters and parts like condenser coils are operating properly. Fixing refrigerant leaks and cleaning coils allows proper airflow.
Energy Efficiency Investments
While the previous tips save money immediately, these home upgrades require more upfront investment but deliver long-term savings through greater efficiency:
Increase Insulation
Heat flows easily through insufficient insulation. Adding insulation reduces conductive heat flow into your home during summer and heat loss in winter. Target areas like attics, exterior walls, basements and crawl spaces.
Seal Ductwork
Leaky ducts force heating and cooling systems to work harder to compensate for conditioned air escaping through cracks and disconnected joints. Seal ducts with mastic paste and ensure connections are properly attached.
Replace Old Appliances
While upfront costs are higher, replacing worn out refrigerators, washers, dryers and water heaters with ENERGY STAR models saves substantially on utility costs over their lifetime.
Schedule an Energy Audit
An energy auditor conducts blower door tests to identify leaks, inspects insulation, HVAC systems, appliances, lighting, windows and more. An audit helps prioritize the most impactful upgrades to reduce heating cooling costs and energy waste.
Additional Ways to Save
Alongside efficiency improvements, the following tips help reduce heating cooling costs:
Enroll in Budget Billing
Utilities average your costs over the year so monthly payments remain consistent versus seasonal spikes. This allows you to save during lower-use months and have that surplus apply towards higher-use periods.
Use Timers and Smart Plugs
Plugging devices like fans, lights and electronics into smart plugs or timers allows you to cut phantom loads. Turn off unused devices completely instead of leaving them in standby mode.
Change Filters Monthly
Dirty filters make HVAC systems work harder to keep you comfortable. Changing furnace and AC filters monthly improves airflow and efficiency.
Close Fireplace Dampers
Close fireplace dampers when not in use to prevent heated or cooled air from escaping through the chimney. Consider glass doors which provide the same effect while retaining the visual appeal.
Take Advantage of Rebates
Check with utilities and state/local governments for rebates on adding insulation, buying ENERGY STAR appliances, replacing heating and cooling equipment, and making other energy-saving upgrades. Tax credits may also apply.
Plan for Next Winter Now
As this winter winds down, make a list of efficiency upgrades to tackle over the spring and summer months when heating and cooling needs are reduced. This prevents waiting until next fall and winter when heating usage ramps up again.
DIY Projects
- Caulk and weatherstrip windows/doors
- Seal ductwork with mastic paste
- Insulate attic access door
- Add plastic film insulation kits
- Install programmable thermostat
Professional Services
- Energy audit
- HVAC maintenance
- Ductwork repairs
- Insulation installation
- Air sealing
- Window/door replacements
Planning ahead leaves you ready to stay warm and comfortable next winter while saving on costs!
Explore Renewable Energy Options
Installing renewable energy systems like solar panels or geothermal heat pumps allows you to generate some or even all of your own electricity or heating/cooling. While upfront investments are higher, renewable systems deliver dramatic lifetime savings through very low operational costs after installation.
Solar Panels
Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight into electricity that directly powers your home. Excess electricity gets fed back into the grid for credit. Solar panels can offset 30-100% of your home’s electricity needs.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal systems use underground pipes to transfer heat between the earth and your home. A geothermal heat pump provides both heating and air conditioning at remarkable efficiencies.
Research Available Incentives
With heating and cooling equipment accounting for a substantial portion of home energy use, there are often attractive rebates, tax credits, and incentives available from utilities, manufacturers, and local/state/federal governments to upgrade to high-efficiency systems. Be sure to understand and utilize any programs available in your area.
Enroll in Green Power Programs
Many electric utilities now offer voluntary green power programs that allow you to pay a small premium on your electric bill to get some or all of your power from renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms. This directly supports bringing additional clean energy generation online.
Adjust Landscaping for Energy Savings
Strategically placed landscaping around your home can help reduce heating cooling costs. Planting deciduous trees along southern exposures provides cooling shade from the summer sun while allowing winter sunlight to warm your home. Evergreens and shrubs block cold winter winds to your advantage.
Conclusion
With heating and cooling accounting for close to half of a typical household’s annual energy expenditures, gaining control over these costs directly benefits your wallet and the environment.
Implementing the tips and long-term energy efficiency strategies outlined above helps reduce heating cooling costs and minimize heat waste from your home.
Little changes like lowering the thermostat, properly using ceiling fans, sealing air leaks, upgrading appliances and maintaining HVAC systems combine to make a measurable impact on energy consumption.
Pair these everyday actions with longer-term investments in insulation, high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment, air sealing, weatherization and renewable energy sources like solar panels to realize even more dramatic savings over time.
Taking advantage of rebates, incentives and budget billing programs enhances cost savings even further.
And as an added bonus, every effort to increase the efficiency of your home reduces associated greenhouse gas emissions, allowing you to do your part in fighting climate change.
So don’t let the prospect of winter’s freezing temps or summer’s blistering heat keep you from making your home efficient, comfortable and kind to your wallet. Put these handy tips to work so you can relax and save all season long!
