Follow These Holiday Energy-Saving Tips, and You’ll Celebrate When the Utility Bills Arrive

Winter holidays are a time for friends and family to gather and reconnect, but all the decorating, cooking and entertaining can do a number on your utility bills. Follow our holiday energy-saving tips, and you’ll have even more reason to celebrate.

Kitchen Tips

• Don’t bother preheating the oven to cook your turkey, ham or other slow-roasted meats. It takes them a long time to cook anyway, so they’ll be just as done without the preheat.
• Peek through the oven window to check on your food; opening the oven door can lower the temperature by up to 25 degrees, wasting energy and prolonging cook time.
• Use your microwave and slow cooker when possible. Both use much less energy than a conventional oven.

Heating Tips

• Save on your hot-water heating costs by lowering the thermostat to 120 degrees.
• Keep up with your furnace filter maintenance. Even though you’re busier than usual, remember to check the filter once a month and to change it as soon as it looks dirty.
• Switch to a programmable thermostat if you haven’t already. Set the unit a few degrees lower while you’re away from home or sleeping and then program it to raise the temperature 30 minutes before you get home or wake up.

Lighting Tips

• Replace older incandescent holiday lights with energy-saving LEDs. In addition to lasting longer, they are safer, brighter and eco-friendly.
• Use a timer to limit the hours your lights are on. Don’t leave the lights on overnight. Consider having them go off at 9 p.m. or so, when most families that have but out looking at the lights are back home.
• Before adding more lights to your tree, try using tinsel or reflective ornaments for more sparkle.

Safety Tips

• Snuggling in front of a fire can help save on your heating bills, but every year fires are caused by dirty and  faulty chimneys and chimney connects. Have your chimney cleaned and inspected each year at the beginning of heating season.
• Inspect all lights before hanging them. Check for damaged or frayed cords, plugs or sockets.

For more holiday energy-saving tips, call the experts at CR Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning. Since 1945, we’ve been proudly serving homeowners in Middletown and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy-savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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