3 On Your Side: Saving On Winter Energy Bills
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--As temperatures drop, energy bills can climb higher, especially if consumers aren't careful. So 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has advice to trim energy bills during the colder months.
First things first when lowering winter utility bills. Meg Matt of the Association of Energy Services Professionals says, "Always you want to do an annual check around your windows and your doorways to make sure your weather stripping is sitting nice and tight. Your windows are caulked nice and tight. That's so cheap and easy, and it's a real great do-it-yourself project."
Consider a wrap or blanket for your hot water heater. It'll keep it warmer, taking less time to heat that water. You can buy a water heater blanket at most home improvement stores for under $20.
Also, ask yourself, 'does the water need to be that hot'? An inexpensive hot water gauge can test your tap water. For most, water in the 120 to 130 degree range should be adequate, not just to avoid the extra energy spent, but also for safety.
By the way, be sure to lower the temperature on your water heater or switch it to vacation setting when away for more than a few days. you'll definitely see some savings.
In addition, beware of that sneaky culprit, "vampire energy", that's energy consumed by all of those devices left plugged into the wall. According to Matt, "When we don't unplug them when we're not using them, they're sitting in a standby mode and ready to go. This is costing our country and all of our consumers $10 billion dollars a year in wasted energy."
