This has been your year of energy efficiency. Ever since you made a new home of Edgewater, Maryland, you’ve nailed energy-efficient habits that have sliced your utility bills lower than they’ve ever been. But when spring transitioned into summer, you quickly learned that you don’t maintain energy efficiency in one season as you would in the other.
Now, cooler weather is thankfully washing over the Mid-Atlantic region, and while you look forward to wearing sweaters and cuddling up with hot cocoa, you want to keep the savings trend going throughout the fall and into the winter. Maintaining energy efficiency in the fall is all about making the most of natural heat and the heat already in your home. Here are a few ways you can maintain your Edgewater, MD energy efficiency in the fall.
Use Natural Heat
The cooler the weather gets, the more tempted you’ll be to turn up the heat and get your living space nice and cozy. When you’re tempted to do so, remember that the higher you turn that heat, the more you’re also cranking up your utility costs. Instead of relying completely on your heating system to stay warm, open blinds and curtains during the day to let natural sunlight into your home. Not only will this make your home feel open and happy, but it’ll allow you to give your heating system a break.
When night hits, remember to close curtains and blinds to keep cooler air from seeping in.
Adjust Your Thermostat
During the summer, you kept your home as warm as possible, especially when you were away, in order to reduce strain on your system and save energy. Now you can carry that same principle into the fall. Adjust your thermostat settings so you keep your home as cool as comfortable. Usually, 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good, efficient temperature that won’t leave you too cold. With a programmable thermostat, you can also allow your home to be cooler while no one’s there. Maximizing the efficiency of your thermostat settings can lower your utility bills as much as 10 percent.
Seal Your Thermal Envelope
Your thermal envelope consists of everything that separates the air inside your home from the cooler air outside. This includes doors, windows, insulation, and more. Sometimes, leaks occur in the thermal envelope, which allows your warm, comfortable air to leave the home and cold air to enter. This makes it more difficult for your HVAC system to maintain comfort, thus reducing energy efficiency and potentially reducing the lifespan of your system.
Look for air leaks around your doors and windows by looking for light seeping in or excess dust and dirt nearby. If you have an attic, check the sealing around plumbing pipes, outlets, and the entry hatch. Attics tend to be some of the guiltiest culprits when it comes to losing energy efficiency. If your attic doesn’t have any insulation, roll some blanket insulation in the floor. Seal leaks around pipes and outlet boxes using expanding foam. Seal around doors with weatherstripping and around windows with fresh caulk.
Conduct Seasonal Maintenance
To keep running efficiently, your HVAC system requires maintenance at least twice a year. The best times to receive maintenance are in the spring and fall, since both winter and summer place excessive strain on your system. If you haven’t already, schedule a maintenance appointment with your local HVAC technician. During a maintenance appointment, your technician will check the efficiency of your entire system and conduct any necessary repairs or cleaning.
Maintenance is absolutely crucial to energy efficiency in any season. It prevents the escalation of minor issues, ensures your system won’t die in the dead of winter, and reduces utility costs considerably.
You’re on your way to becoming an energy efficiency guru. High energy efficiency won’t only cut your utility costs, it will also help you build a comfortable and healthy home for you and your family. All it takes is a little know-how, establishing some habits, and knowing who to call. To improve energy efficiency in your home today, call our team at Griffith Energy Services at 888-474-3391.
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