Here at Smylie One Heating & Cooling, we are often asked if we have any winter energy-saving tips a person can use at home or work. Since 1955, we’ve had a vested interest in helping our customers save on their energy expenses. After all, HVAC and water heating can make up for as much as 60% of a home’s energy usage.

Whether you’re a homeowner, property manager, or business owner when you apply our ten winter energy-saving tips, we’re positive you’ll stay warm while cutting costs. 

1. Inspect Your Building For Drafts – Whether it’s a residential or commercial building, drafts develop over time, and cold air will find a way to get inside. Not just around doors and windows, sometimes through cracks in the floors or walls as well.
2. Keep Vents and Registers Clear – Boxes, clothing, rugs, draperies, and furnishings will often block and become barriers for vents and registers to operate correctly. These heating system components must stay clean and barrier-free to save on energy and system wear and tear.
3. Air Filter Maintenance – It doesn’t matter what brand you use, the size of the unit, or the model installed. Heating systems across the board must have air filters free of dust, dirt, and debris. Not replacing them, buildup forms, the airflow becomes restricted, and energy efficiency is lost.
4. Annual Inspections and Cleaning – HVAC system maintenance is not a once in awhile service. When the heating system is not inspected and cleaned every year, the furnace or boiler will lose more and more efficiency and eventually fail. With annual maintenance, your system is cleaned and major components are checked for safe and optimal performance.
5. Retire An Old System – Like any appliance, a heating system will reach the end of its lifecycle. The unit will wear down from age and use becoming too costly to repair. To regain energy savings and efficiency, have a new system installed.
6. Upgrade Attic Insulation – Over time, the insulation in your attic develops mold and mildew, shifts and settles, and bugs, pests, and rodents will burrow in, creating holes. When you inspect and replace attic insulation, you’ve just eased your HVAC system’s load, which saves energy.
7. Install a Smart Thermostat – Programmable thermostat technology has created new ways to reduce energy costs and consumption. These advancements allow you to take advantage of home and away temperature settings, and access valuable energy saving tips as they relate to your lifestyle.
8. Open your blinds and curtains – Take advantage of the only free heat source out there – the sun!  Open your blinds and curtains during the day and it will help heat your home naturally.  
9. Reduce Water Heater Settings – It takes a lot of energy to heat water.  Try reducing the temperature setting on your hot water heater, chances are you’ll never notice the difference. 
10. Use Ceiling Fans – Most people recognize the benefits of using ceiling fans when it’s hot, but not as many realize that ceiling fans can also be used in the winter to circulate warm air.  Change your ceiling fan rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise, which will produce an updraft that forces warm air that has collected near the ceiling to disperse throughout the room.  

For more information or questions about other winter energy-saving tips, contact Smylie One Heating & Cooling today!