Is Your Home Ready for Cold Weather?

January 15, 2021

While winter’s cold weather can produce higher home energy use, the good news is Union Power is committed to helping you stick to your New Year’s resolution of reducing your monthly utility bill. Here are some tips to help you save both energy and money when cold weather strikes:

• Seal air leaks – Use weather stripping or caulk to seal any cracks or gaps around doors, windows, and thresholds. Also, check your ceiling – make sure that attic fans and light fixtures are properly sealed to prevent the air in your home from escaping into the attic. Furthermore, you may also want to consider investing in an attic door tent if you have dropdown stairs.

• Inspect your insulation – Ensure you have adequate insulation in your attic. This helps keep warm air in your house, rather than allowing it to escape into the attic. If your home has a crawl space, be sure to check the insulation below your subfloor as well.  The insulation below should be tight against the floor and never droop.

• Set your thermostat – Verify that your thermostat is set to “Heat” mode only; lower the setting to 68 degrees, or as low as is comfortable. For the best consumption results, you want to try to maintain that temperature setting all winter. Your heater has to work harder when temperatures are frigid so lower temperature settings can lead to savings. If you have a heat pump, be careful only to increase your settings by two-degree increments. Otherwise, you may unintentionally activate the auxiliary heat.  Stay warm by wearing layers and adding extra blankets to beds.

• Switch to LED lighting – LEDs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs and Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs). Make the switch to LED bulbs in your home, and enjoy increased efficiency that will create savings now and all year round.

• Save hot water – It takes energy to heat water, and you can save by adjusting your water heater’s setting to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (factory setting), installing high-efficiency showerheads, and washing clothes in cold water.

Union Power also offers a number of services to help residents manage energy use during colder-than-normal temperatures, such as:

• Mobile App – Track your energy use from your smartphone to keep heating and energy-related costs in check.

• Usage Alerts – Sign up to receive text or email alerts that let you know when your energy use reaches a certain level, so there are no surprises when your bill arrives.

• PrePay – Our PrePay service is a flexible and convenient payment method that allows you to pay for electricity before using it, putting you in control of how much you spend on electricity. PrePay can help you manage your budget by allowing you to monitor your power use and only buy as much electricity as you need.

• Online Tools & Calculators – Take advantage of our interactive tools and calculators at union-power.com to help estimate energy and cost-savings based on your energy consumption practices, and determine if adjustments need to be made to save energy and lower your bill.

• Energy Specialists – Contact one of our Energy Specialist to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about making your home more energy-efficient.

Visit union-power.com to access more tools and resources to help you understand and manage your energy use and make more informed energy decisions during the cold of winter and throughout the year.