Energy, Electricity and Natural Gas Articles

Beating the Winter Cold: Long-Term and Short-Term Plans

As Autumn creeps along, the days get shorter and the mornings start to get a little chilly. If you live in the Northeast, this chill becomes a bracing cold that makes going outside quite frigid. In the Southwest, including Texas, this kind of weather inspires us to wear jackets, particularly during those unexpected cold snaps. No matter where you live keeping your home warm during cold weather can be both difficult and expensive. Here are some energy-efficient ways you can ensure your home is comfortable without busting your energy budget.

There are plenty of steps you can take when forecasters predict an especially cold week. It may not be economical, for instance, to replace any older equipment with newer, more energy efficient appliances if you only use them a couple times a year. When you're facing a few chilly days, you should consider:

• Sealing off rooms you may not be using. Instead of paying to heat that extra guest room, keep the door closed and close any central heating vents that may be in floors or walls. Close the doors of mud rooms or foyers to add an extra buffer between your living space and the great (and frigid) outdoors.

• Hanging blankets in front of doors and large windows. While doing this may not make the most favorable fashion statement, adding that extra layer of insulation can really keep the cold air out and the hot air in. The thicker the blanket is, and the closer the blanket is to the window, the more energy you'll save.

• Using space heaters instead of your central furnace system wherever possible. A single ceramic space heater can keep the conditions in a room pretty comfortable, saving you the expense of heating a larger area of your home. You can choose between electric space heaters and ones that burn kerosene, and each of these present different concerns. Users of kerosene heaters must avoid a buildup of carbon monoxide in the home, while plug-in space heaters can use a lot of the electricity juice.

• Doubling up on the sweaters and blankets. It may be a pain to pull these extras out of storage, but the simplest ideas are often the best. The temperature won't bother you if you're buried underneath several layers of blankets.

The best idea, of course, is to make big changes during the warmer months to make it easier to control the climate in your home year-round. To prepare your home for a long, snowy winter in states like New York, consider:

• Performing an energy audit of your home and act upon the results. There are many private individuals who will be happy to take a tour of your home and make lots of specific recommendations to improve the efficiency of your energy use. You can also get customized advice from web sites such as energyguide.com. This resource will give you feedback based important information, including your zip code and the size of your home. For example, a fairly average person who owns a detached single family home in the Fort Worth area can save between $52 and $87 per year by controlling the airflow in and out of the house, eliminating wasteful drafts.

• Investing in weather stripping and other items that prevent airflow from the outdoors. Weather stripping is very easy to install, but can make a big difference on your heating bill. The area between the bottom of the door and the jamb is a prime place for energy waste. That's why you should purchase those snake-like insulators that are placed inside the door. If you plan ahead, you'll even be able to find these in styles to match any home décor. Wayne Mahar, Chief Meteorologist for Syracuse's WSTM-TV, advises you to check and replace the caulk seals around your window and door jambs to combat the predicted nationwide increase in heating bills.

• Replacing old appliances with new, ENERGY STAR-rated ones. The television you watch has changed a lot over the years, but many people keep furnaces for decades. That twenty-year-old furnace contains obsolete technology. A brand new furnace will cost a significant amount of money up front, but will save money in the long run.

The biggest way to have an effect on your heating bill is to devote some time and attention to these issues. Those few hours you spend in the summer adding insulation to the garage or those few dollars you spend to put a third blanket on your bed can make a difference. It's up to you to make it a priority. You will be happy you did when winter rolls around again and you are seeing savings on your New York electricity bill.