When you’re trying to lower home utility expenses, you need to identify areas you can cut costs to save money. This includes learning whether you are spending more on home heating or air conditioning, and identifying areas where you can reduce your energy usage or make efficient home improvements to stretch your budget. Both heating and air conditioning can be costly; learn which is more expensive to begin saving money every month.
Heating vs. Air Conditioning: Where Does Your Money Go?
While a mild winter or a scorching summer can affect a year’s expenses, heating usually is more expensive than air conditioning. Across the U.S., Americans spend four times as much on home heating as on home cooling. Exceptions to this include extremely hot areas of the country, such as South Florida or Southern California.
Home heating and air conditioning together represent roughly 48 percent of your monthly utility bills. Even if heating is more expensive than AC, it should be clear that cutting home heating and cooling costs can greatly reduce your monthly utilities. This could mean extra cash in your pocket for vacation, home improvements, or savings.
With both home heating and AC, having systems serviced annually ensures that they operate at their most efficient. This saves you money. Additionally, sealing cracks prevents air from leaking out and helps systems operate efficiently.
There are many ways you can cut home heating and cooling costs, but first you need to know exactly where you’re spending money to heat and cool your home. Energy audit companies visit your home and perform a series of tests. They can reveal areas where home improvements can curb energy consumption and lower your bills. Once you make the suggested changes, you will begin saving money every month. Over time, the money you save will more than pay you back for home improvements.
Ways to Reduce Home Heating and Cooling Costs
There are many ways to reduce the cost of your utility bills, including:
. Replacing old appliances with energy-efficient appliances
. Upgrading home furnaces or boilers that are over 15 years old
. Upgrading an old home heat pump or air conditioner that is more than 10 years old
. Replacing old drafty windows with replacement windows
. Using a programmable thermostat
. Setting your thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer
. Modifying your clothing when you are hot or cold instead of altering home heating and cooling settings
. Sleeping with the windows open in the summer instead of relying on air conditioning while you sleep
Your energy auditor will make targeted suggestions for your home, so take their advice to heart and make changes. As you do, you will notice a decrease in your utility bills and increase in your comfort levels in the home. The more you save every month, the more money you have on hand to make needed home improvements or save for other goals.
