Typically when the temperatures drop – monthly energy bills rise. And a sad truth about living in Arizona is that there is very little a homeowner can do about rising costs of natural resources and energy production that leads to dramatic rate increases during the winter months. However, there are several energy saving tips in Scottsdale that any home owner can instigate that will cost you zero money – but can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
Three Simple Energy Saving Tips To Try This Winter For Your Scottsdale Home
Tip #1 – Open your Window Drapes During the Day
During summer a great way of keeping your home cool is to keep your window drapes or blinds closed during the day. This eliminates the sun from entering your home and heating up your house. However, if you simply reverse this trend in winter, and let the sunshine warm your house during the day, you can save a tremendous amount of energy. However, it’s just as important to shut your drapes and blinds at night, as to ensure cold doesn’t seep into your home at night or early morning hours.
Simple window shade management costs you nothing, but it can save you a tremendous amount of money each month.
Tip #2 – Set Your Thermostat to a Comfortable Temperature – AND LEAVE IT
The biggest waste of energy during the winter time is when your heating system has to work overtime to increase the temperature inside your home. This is why a great money savings tip is to set your thermostat to a comfortable setting in wintertime and leave it alone. You’d be surprised how well a home can self-insulate itself during winter. As such, it’s a great idea to set your thermostat between 68-75 degrees in wintertime to keep your house a consistent temperature.
One thing you definitely want to avoid is frequently changing the temperature inside your home. Turning your temperature low during the day might be a good idea, but believe it or not, your heating system will work harder when it has to increase the temperature by more than 4 degrees. This is why it’s a good idea to just set it at a comfortable temperature and leave it alone.
Tip #3 – Use Major Appliances During the Day
This is a tip that like the first one we mentioned is reversed in wintertime in Scottsdale. It is recommended during summer that you use major appliances like dishwashing machines, washers and other non-essential units during off-peak hours – and in the summertime, non-peak hours is at night when AC units typically don’t work as hard. However, this is reversed in winter. At night, heating systems crank up. So, do the best you can by using those other major appliances during the day, when your home heating unit doesn’t have to operate.
If you follow these three simple energy saving tips in Scottsdale, you’ll be surprised how much money you’ll be able to save each month.