As stated in January, I’ve listed a resolution for each month to help improve our environmental habits.
February’s resolution is to turn down the thermostat a few degrees and check my home for areas where heat could be escaping. While it may be difficult to do so in all of this frigid winter weather going on right now, here are a few ways to get you started.
Straight from the Department of Energy, consider these steps to not only improve energy savings but costs as well.
- Turn it down. Save up to 1% on your heating bill for every degree you turn down the thermostat.
- Don’t let savings go up in smoke. Use your fireplace efficiently.
- Let the sun heat your home. Open drapes on south-facing windows during the day.
- Keep the heat. Close curtains at night and on windows that don’t get sun.
- Keep it running. Maintain your heating system.
So once we turn down our thermostat, how do we keep it there? It’s easy to do so once we leave the house for work or an extended period of time but who likes coming back to a cold home? To avoid the temptation to turn back up, keep a sweater or blanket handy to put on. I keep a light weight vest hanging on my kitchen chair so once my coat is hung up, I can slip this on easily. My kids have their Snuggi’s (aka Thneed, but that’s another post) on the sofa to make the transition easier for those extra chilly days. And at night, keep an extra blanket on the bed. Or if you are in the market for new sheets, consider bamboo. Aside from many other green attributes, bamboo also offers high breathability so it acts as a thermal regulator to your body temperature keeping you comfortable no matter what the weather. We’ve been cool in the summer and warm and toasty this winter.
Also try and determine if there is heat escaping anywhere else unnecessarily.
- Windows. Put up storm windows if you have them or cover with plastic. My husband puts up this plastic film in a few rooms upstairs. I was very skeptical at first (how tacky, I thought) but you really can’t tell that it’s there on the inside or out so I’m learning to live with it.
- Fireplace. If you don’t use. Plug it up. And if you do, make sure to close the flu when not in use.
- Doors. Check for drafts coming under the door and place a towel to help plug it up. There is also plastic weather strip for doors as well.
- Check with your local power provider as they may offer a free Energy Audit to help you identify areas of your home to improve upon and keep your costs down.
Just a few ideas to help with this resolution. Tough with all this snow and winter weather, I know, but every little bit helps so do what you can.
