Is it January or October?! The drastic change in temperature has got me all confused and looking for blankets, long underwear and other things I usually don’t need until after the holidays.
If you’re like me, for whatever reason, you're not prepared for the change in seasons. So, what can you do to stay warm and save energy – right now and all winter long?
- If you haven’t already, make an appointment to have your furnace or heating system serviced.
- Check your furnace filter and make sure it’s clean so your furnace doesn’t have to work so hard.
- Apply caulk or weatherstripping to seal leaks around doors, windows or any other areas to keep the cold air outside. (Note, the temperature should be above 45 degrees to apply caulking, so probably not today.)
- Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. Add a layer of clothes or wrap up in a blanket to take off the edge.
- Cover drafty windows with plastic film or tight-fitting, insulated drapes or shades.
- Open coverings on south-facing windows to take advantage of heat from the sun.
- At night or when you leave home, set your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees – if you can do that for 8 hours, you can save up to 10% on energy costs. (A programmable thermostat is really handy for this, and we offer a $50 rebate on qualifying products!)
Hopefully these tips will take the chill off today and through the winter, but I’ve still got my fingers crossed for a warm up to enjoy a little bit of fall yet this year!
