Believe it or not, the New Year is just around the corner. It’s that time when we all make lists of resolutions to better our lives and the lives of those around us.
At BelRed, we believe in helping to improve the lives of our customers and their loved ones when it comes to home energy and performance. In this blog series, we’ve put together a list of resolutions for your new year that could help do just that.
Follow this checklist and you’ll be well on your way to a more energy efficient home in 2016 and beyond!
- “If you’re cold, put on a sweater.” While the old saying may be a joke to many, it does hold some truth. As we mentioned in a previous post from this series, lowering your thermostat setting a few degrees can result in a big energy savings over the course of the winter season. Putting on a comfy sweater, some thick wool socks and keeping your living room and bedroom furniture equipped with throw blankets can really help you settle into the winter and save energy and money in the process.
- Take advantage of airflow in your home. If you have ceiling fans in your home and aren’t using them in the winter, you may be losing out on a big energy efficiency opportunity. Switching the setting from counter-clockwise to a clockwise spin will help push hot air that rises to the ceiling back down in the winter. This will create better airflow and greater warm air circulation in the home and will help your heating system, whatever it may be, work a little less while still keeping your home comfortable.
- Don’t heat what you don’t use. In the case of rooms that get little or no use, like guest rooms or storage rooms/closets, there’s not much need to send valuable heat to those areas of the home. Close off the vents to these rooms and redirect that heat to places that need it most – the rooms you occupy every day. Less space requires less energy.
As always, we’re here to help well beyond developing a list of energy saving tips for you to tackle in the new year. We’d love to help with any home performance upgrade or project, whether it’s on this list or not! Give us a call today to schedule an appointment. We hope you have a fantastic New Year!
