Winterize Your Home

Seal Your House. Stay Cozy. Save Money. 

Ski season. Family holidays. Hot cocoa. Snow days. There are plenty of reasons to get excited about winter, but the return of high heating bills doesn't make that list.

You shouldn’t be punished with high energy bills just to stay comfortable in your own home.

Here are 10+ tips to help you stay cozy and save money this winter:

1.    Set up a free home energy profile using our new and improved Energy Savvy tool. It takes just a few minutes.

2.    Get a comprehensive home energy assessment performed by a Building Performance Institute certified auditor. They will give you a prioritized list of where and how you can get the biggest bang for your buck in energy savings. Bonus: they do a health and safety check that protects homeowners from hidden hazards such as gas leaks, mold and mildew.

3.    Air sealing comes first. It’s not as sexy as new windows, but it is critical. And leaks aren’t always where you think they are. Most houses have a cumulative air leak the size of a refrigerator door, and less than 10% of that comes from windows and doors. All the smaller holes in attics and basements add up. The money you put into air sealing will pay back in 6 months to a year.

4.    Identify the 10-12 lighting fixtures that you use most often and replace those bulbs with energy efficient CFLs or LEDs. 

5.    If appliances like your refrigerator are at least 10 years old, consider upgrading to a new, efficient model. There have been major advances in efficiency of these units in recent years.  


6.    Ask your HVAC service provider to conduct a combustion and efficiency test and to check on proper sizing, enough return air and proper pressure and balance. If necessary, upgrade to a more efficient model but sometimes maintenance (check that filter!) will pay dividends.

7.    Check whether your HVAC ducts and air handler are located in the attic or crawlspace and whether they might have air leaks or poor insulation. About 20 percent of the air that moves through a duct system is lost to due to leaks and poorly insulated connections. These are easy and cost-effective fixes for a professional to make. Make sure all of your ducts are insulated especially if they are located in attics. If they aren’t, you might as well be flushing cold air down a hot pipe. 

8.    Check the thermostat. Consider getting a programmable thermostat, and keep in mind that you can save at least 2% on your heating bill for each degree you lower the thermostat in the winter.

9.    Plug your electronic devices into power strips and turn the strip off when not using your electronics.

10.    Insulate hot water tank and water pipes.