These 3 Tips Will Help You Save Money On Your Energy Bill—Try Them Today!

Things can get both chilly and blisteringly hot in North Carolina, depending on the time of the year. For homeowners, that requires some kind of centralized HVAC system, using a common network of ducts to either distribute warm air from a furnace, or cool air from the air conditioner.

But that constant use of heating and cooling means energy bills need to be paid for every month. With our three tips, however, you can cut down just how much you need to pay!

Invest In Window Coverage

A window doesn’t benefit from the same opacity and thick layer of insulation as the rest of the walls in your home.

That’s because it is designed to admit natural light inside, but an inevitable side-effect of this is that it also allows heat to enter as well.

That’s a good thing in the winter months, as it helps your furnace with heating duties. Unsurprisingly, it’s not so welcome in the summer. If you’re trying to keep your home cool, then the brightest part of the day, when a window is flooded with sunlight, is also bringing in a large amount of heat.

Your AC is now fighting to keep this heat under control as well, forcing it to work harder and longer. Drapes, curtains, or even blinds that cover the appropriate windows during these hot parts of the day can help keep your AC bills lower.

Upgrade to A New Thermostat

Old thermostats just turn on and off, and, while on, monitor your home temperature and turn on the HVAC to bring the temperature to the desired level.

That’s simple, but not terribly efficient or convenient compared to newer models. On the low end, newer thermostats are programmable so you can set different temperatures for different parts of the day, like when no one is home.

On the high end, smart thermostats monitor home usage, learn to adjust based on living patterns, and can eventually operate all by themselves with no help from you, like an HVAC butler. They can even provide useful data about energy usage, like where and how it’s being spent. Modern thermostats can even be operated by your phone if you’re looking for the ultimate in convenience.

Check & Fix Leaks In Your Ducts

Your air ducts are a cost-effective way to get both heated and chilled air into the rooms of the house that need it during the winter and summer seasons.

But air ducts are just another variation on pipes, and, like water pipes, structural breaks can cause leaks which have an impact on your HVAC performance, and that ultimately raises your bills.

The best way to prevent this is to have a professional conduct a thorough inspection of your ducts. In addition to cleaning, leaks discovered in ducts can also be repaired, restoring integrity to your ducts and returning a higher level of efficiency to your HVAC operation that will result in lower bills.

Comfort is important at home and work, and if you live in Winston-Salem, NC, you want to make sure you’re prepared for both the summer heat and the winter chill. Just be smart about how you use your HVAC system, and follow our maintenance tips to ensure you don’t pay more on your bills every month than you have to.