Save Energy This Fall: 7 (Mostly) Free Ways

If you spend too much on your monthly energy bills during the fall and winter, you’re not alone.

The good news is that there are many ways to save some money on your monthly bills – and many of them are free (or almost free). Here are 6 of our favorite efficiency hacks to save money and improve home comfort performance in your home:

• Drop your water heater temperature. The default setting on most water heater thermostats could be as high as 140 degrees; 120 is the temperature the U.S. Department of Energy recommends for the best mix of comfort and economy. If you have an electric water heater, consider replacing it with a propane water heater; the improvements in efficiency will often pay for the unit in just a few years – especially if you choose a propane tankless model.
• Use a ceiling fan. Using a ceiling fan in the fall and winter may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a great way to keep rising warm air from gathering near the ceiling, where it doesn’t help anyone. Just be sure the rotation of the fan is set to push warm air back into the room – see your owner’s manual for details.
• Close unused air vents. If you have a furnace and central heat, close air vents in rooms you’re not using. Why pay to heat rooms you’re not enjoying?
• Take advantage of the sun. Keep curtains open in sun-exposed rooms during the day, then close them once the sun goes down to keep heat in.
• Be smart with your clothes washing. Only wash a full load of clothes – and use the warm or cold setting rather than hot. Modern washing machines do just as good a job on your clothes with warm water.
• Use a programmable thermostat. Keep your house slightly cooler when no one is home. Drop temperatures at night, too, especially on the coldest days – it’s the contrast between outdoor and indoor temperatures that matters more than the absolute temperature inside your home.
• Service your heating equipment. All right, this isn’t free – but considering that your heating equipment will lose about five percent efficiency every year it’s not serviced by a professional, routine maintenance is a no-brainer investment that will usually pay for itself.

Looking for more ways to save this fall? We can help. Contact Fall River Propane for reliable propane delivery in Eastern Idaho, Southwestern Montana, and Western Wyoming, plus propane installations, propane maintenance service, and more.