14 Easy Ways How to Cut Power Bill Expenses During the Winter

The winter-time can be a very challenging time for most people.

It’s cold.  It’s dark.  And it’s hard to travel.

Unfortunately all of those things can make people want to stay indoors during that time.  And that can lead to a big increase in your energy bill.

All of the sudden you’re dealing with drafty windows, more hot water treatment, and a whole more electricity usage than you ever would have during the Summer-time.

Luckily there are lots of effective ways how to cut power bill costs that are easy to do.  All it just takes a little bit of planning and a few basic things to remember.

Helpful Ways How to Cut Power Bill Costs:

1. Lower the thermostat.  Each degree that you turn down your thermostat will result in 5% off your heating costs.  The best way you can do that is to buy a programmable thermostat and then set it to turn down while you’re not at home (while at work or school).
2. Dress warmer.  Even though you may be just inside the house, the winter-time is not exactly the time to wear shorts and a t-shirt.  Wear longs sleeves.  Dress in layers.  Your power bill and thermostat will thank you.
3. Eat hot foods and drink warmer drinks.  Don’t just keep your outside warm.  Warm yourself from the inside out too.  Take advantage of the many options for hot food and warm winter drinks.  Cups of warm soup, warm tea, fresh coffee, or even hot chocolate can help to make you feel a whole warmer than you really are (and taste delicious).
4. Use less hot water.  It costs a lot of money to keep your water heater going.  Subconsciously you may want to use warm water since you feel colder.  Resist the urge to do so.  Rinse your dishes in cold water.  Wash your clothes in cold water.  Save the hot water for the shower!
5. Keep the showers brief.  Even though you may be saving the hot water for the showers, keep them  as short as possible.  The longer your shower takes the more hot water you’ll have to replace.  Translation: Higher power bill costs!  Bonus tip: An energy-efficient shower head will help to conserve how much water you use during your shower.
6. Insulate your pipes.  Running hot water isn’t the only way to lose energy.  Hot water can lose its temperature through the pipes it travels through.  You can easily prevent this by buying some foam insulation to wrap around the pipes and keep the heat in.
7. Turn off your un-used electronics.   Think about all the things you probably leave on when you’re not at home (your computer, the cable box, etc.)  Fortunately there are services that can help by monitoring your electrical activity and emailing you a report.  That way it’s all out in front of you, and you can see where you might have a potential problem.
8. Lock and seal your windows.  Your window may be shut.  But how tight is it really?  If you forget to lock your windows during the winter, you may be creating a small draft where heat can escape.  Don’t do that!  Shut and lock your windows tight so that they stay completely shut all throughout the cold season.  Do you still feel a draft?  You may need to add just a little bit of weather-stripping to ensure that no heat passes through.  Fortunately weather-stripping is very cheap and available in a variety of sizes.
9. Weather-strip your doors.  Don’t just focus on the windows.  Heat can also escape through your doors too.   Be sure to check them while you’re at it.  If you feel cold air, simply add some adhesive weather stripping.
10. Close off unused rooms.  Do you not go into your closet all day?  Your bathroom?  Un-used bedrooms?  If so, then why bother to heat them?  Close the doors to these unused rooms and make it easier on the power bill to heat just the space you actually use.
11. Seal your fireplace.  Do you also have a fireplace in your house?  Make sure to close that off during the winder if you don’t plan to use it.
12. Change your furnace filter.  If you haven’t changed your furnace filter in a while, you might be making your furnace work a lot harder than it needs to.  Read your filters instructions and be sure to keep up on the replacement schedule.  Most of them need changing approximately every 90 days.
13. Check your attic insulation.  Heat rises.  And that makes the insulation in your attic one of the most important buffers between you and the cold outside.  Make sure you have enough insulation by contacting a professional company to do an audit.  For the few bucks it may cost you, you’ll potentially save hundreds in the long run!
14. Switch to CFL light bulbs.  Those silly looking swirly lights really do only take a fraction of the power of regular light bulbs.  Anywhere and everywhere possible switch to the energy efficient bulbs instead.

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