Trim Your Utility Bills This Winter

Winter is finally here in Edmonton. When I woke up this morning it was -28 °C and my furnace was working hard to keep up with my meager setting of 18°C. I never look forward to winter from a financial perspective because my utility bills skyrocket like no tomorrow. Instead of moving to BC, I stick to a strict regime of simple tasks and creative gadgets to help keep my winter utility bills to a minimum.

Baby, it's cold outside

Programmable thermostats are great for saving energy during winter and their even better when you actually install them. I've seen quite a few thermostats still in the package in friend's basements that haven't had time to install them. Also when shopping for a programmable thermostat make sure you invest in a quality product with the settings you desire. Stay away from wally-world specials that will only last a few years. Prepare to spend $75 or more for one that will last.

A common misconception is to set the heat down to 11° when no one is home and then have it cranked to 20° when there are people at home. That sudden increase of 9° puts a huge workload on your furnace and will use the same, if not more energy than keeping the setting at a constant temperature. For example, our thermostat is set to 16° at 11pm while we sleep. Then at 6 am it's set for 18° while we get ready for work and at 8 am it goes back down to 16°. When 4 pm rolls around the heat is back up to balmy 19° as the outside temperature plummets and we all settle in for a long winters nap. I personally wouldn't set the temperature difference more than 4° or else the energy savings is lost. When guests come over you can turn up the heat so you don't look like a total cheapskate. For the in-laws you can turn it down to keep visits to a minimum.

Don't be a cheapskate and change your furnace filter at least four times a year. To help me remember, I change them on the official start date of each season. I changed the furnace filter on September 21 and plan to change it again on December 21. You may also want to vacuum out your blower motor in September as well to keep it clean  and allowing it to run more efficiently.

"Turn down OFF the lights, baby."

I am like the light Nazi in my house. As soon as I leave the room the lights are off until needed again. A lot of people think it's no big deal to leave lights on for no reason and they are happy to have power bills over $100 and upwards of $200 during the winter months; not this cowboy. My wife never thought much about turning lights off when no one is in the room. Now that she pays for the power bill herself, she's all about saving power and keeping that bill to a minimum.

When it comes to Christmas lights, LEDs are the way to go! Every year they become cheaper and cheaper and now they are very reasonably priced so I bought enough to replace our old, faded set. To be even more efficient, we purchased a programmable switch to turn the lights on for 2 hours, from 7 to 9pm each night. Not only does it save power if we forget to turn them off, it's added security for when we are not home. Criminals look for outside timers, but by having a programmable switch it gives the illusion that we might be home.

Garages are for vehicles, not junk!

If you're lucky to have a garage, don't keep it full of junk during the winter months. Make room for your vehicle(s) and save yourself from having to plug them in. My attached, insulated garage is not heated and even on nights when it's -35°C it's only -1°c inside. It makes for a pleasant morning drive to work in a heated vehicle and not having to scrap the windows. You may also want to adjust your garage door opener after a few weeks of cold weather. I noticed some gaps where I see light coming in from outside so I adjusted the amount it closes and the gaps were gone allowing more heat to stay in my garage.

If you don't have a garage and are forced to plug your vehicle in, I highly suggest you buy a timer for your extension cord. A lot of people keep their vehicle block heater plugged in over night, when really it only needs to be on for two hours prior to when you want to start your engine. A block heater is a purely resistive load, which means it's using power constantly while being plugged in. By using an outdoor timer on your extension cord, it only uses power for that two hour window which means you save a ton of money on your next power bill.

These are just a few ways you can help trim your utility bills this winter without looking like a cheapskate. The more money you save now, means even more money saved down the road from compounded growth. I'll have more energy savings tips later on after Christmas. I tend to keep the real cheap looking ones like poly on your windows and wearing sweaters and extra blankets for when you won't have guests over for Christmas parties and when the real cold weather hits. Stay Frosty, Everyone!