Cold weather energy saving tips for your home

With cold weather having it’s grip on the area, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, affiliated with the Wisconsin DNR, is offering some energy saving tips when it comes to heating your home.

Keep the shades on all south-facing windows open during the day so sunlight will help naturally heat your home. Close blinds and drapes at night to block the chill from cold windows.

If you have a fireplace, close the damper when not in use to keep heat from escaping and cold air out.

Minimize the use of gas fireplaces and space heaters, which are less efficient and more expensive than furnaces to heat your home overall.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room and shut down computers and TVs when not in use. Unplug appliances when not in use as they can draw electricity even when turned off.

And a big one that will help reduce costs anytime of the year, keep your water heater set below 100 degrees. Many water heaters are set to 120 degrees or higher when we don’t use water that hot anyway.