Who does not love winters? Snuggly blankets and comfort food, make us fonder of the chilly season. Except, the rising energy bills make us a little — uncomfortable. 

As per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, almost half of the households in the United States heat their homes with natural gas. This usage causes an expenditure of $746 on average in winter, which is an increase of 30 percent than 2019.

With higher prices and high demand for furnace supply, there is an evident increase in the usage of fuel in the home. Since this winter is anticipated to be slightly colder than before, people will be seen spending more time in their homes with even more fuel usage happening. 

After spending more than two years practicing isolation, spending time indoors during winter will not be a daunting task for us. However, the more time we spend in our homes, the more home essentials we require. For example, after spending more than 2 months inside our homes with little to no contact with the outside world, we have come across several home necessities, which were never part of the plan. Having a high-speed internet connection for home has always been the top priority but now with limited interactions in person, we need a reliable home phone service as well. Luckily, Cox Phone Service is one of the most easily available and affordable options for people in the United States. With Cox Phone Service, you get unlimited nationwide calling, 20 popular calling features, and a lot more. 

However, now that we are planning to spend winters indoors, we should get our hands on the “keeping the home warm” necessities. However, before you turn up to hoarding appliances that increase your energy bill, we have listed down some tips and hacks on how to overcome the hike in energy bills.

Turn to Thermostat

You might encounter people in your home using the furnace even when it is not required. You cannot simply go all over the house inspecting who did the crime. Instead, by installing a programmable thermostat, you can lower the heat when it is not required, when you are away, or at night time. 

There are a good number of “smart” thermostats that have made life a lot easier than before. The smart thermostat model comes with features accessible through smartphones and apps. These apps allow you to adjust the temperature of the thermostat remotely.

What more can you ask from the smart innovation perfected to lower your energy bills during winters?

Think About the Temperature

How about you lower 1 degree off your thermostat and save up to 1-3 percent on your bill? 

This does not mean that you start lowering your home temperature to a point that your home starts flash freezing. Instead, experts suggest that slowly reducing the temperature to find a level that your body feels comfortable with helps the temperature come to a perfect scale. Other than this, it is important to realize that bodies acclimate. This means that if you lower the temperate to a few degrees, your body will eventually feel comfortable in it after a few days. Therefore, before lowering the degree altogether, wait for your body to adjust to the first change. 

Get the Furnace Tune-up

Heating the home is the biggest source of high-energy bills. Except, if you work carefully with this tool in your home carefully, you can save many expenses. First, what you need to do is have professionals check your home system and ensure that it is running smoothly. After checking the system completely your technician might suggest a change of furnace filters. Some furnaces require filter changing every month. If you avoid changing them, the dirty furnace will restrict the airflow and cause the system to work harder, which means more fuel consumption — which will result in high energy bills.  

Lastly, Let the Sun Shine!

Apart from, all the tips mentioned in the blog above opening our blinds and shades to let the sunshine come into your house is a great way to save up on energy bills.