Heating and cooling makes up a big portion of your utility bill. By maintaining and upgrading your equipment when needed, you can save on your energy bill and continue to run an energy efficient home. Here are some other tips that will help reduce your heating and cooling costs.

Tips

During the summer, set your thermostat as high as is comfortable and as low as is comfortable in the winter. In the summer, close all the windows and block the sun’s heat or rays to keep the house feeling cool. In the winter, do the exact opposite. Let the sunlight in through the windows and close the shades at night to keep from being cold. It is also recommended that you clean out your filters once a month and get rid of trapped air from hot-water radiators, one or two times a season. Try to turn off the exhaust fans in the kitchen or bathroom right when you are done or within 20 minutes of finishing. In addition, when picking out your heating or cooling equipment, you should get information on all brands, models, and designs to find the one that is best suited to your home and helps you save energy.

Alternatives

There are also other alternatives to electric heating: geothermal, solar, pellet, or masonry as a green and environmentally conscious heat source.

Geothermal heat sources use the earth’s temperature from below the ground to heat or cool your home. Though this may seem like an expensive alternative now, it is said that geothermal heating can be made up for in cutting costs within 5 to 10 years.

Solar heating comes in two different forms: active and passive. Active heating takes the sun’s energy to heat the home by transferring the heat through the floors, baseboards, or radiators of your house. As long as your are facing south, there should be adequate sunlight to keep proper heating. Passive heating entails taking heat from the sun through the windows retaining it then releasing it. In order to be fully functionable, proper solar insulations must be set in place.

Pelet fuel appliances burn agricultural waste, sawdust and other organic materials to make heat. They cost between $1,700 to $3,000.

Masonry heaters gather heat from burning wood and retain it. Throughout the course of the day, heat will be slowly radiated throughout the home.