Cheddar News - Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Your Home This Winter

Описание: Save energy in your home with these little to no cost energy efficiency tips.
https://www.coned.com/en/save-money/r...

The weather outside might not be the only thing that's frightful this winter. As the weather starts to change, homeowners like Chris are acting. Cooler seasonal temperatures mean higher energy costs. In fact, experts forecast natural gas bills for your home could rise anywhere between 22% and 44%, compared to last winter. That's why Chris is getting efficient, investing in his home to save money while keeping warm inside. So far, some simple upgrades
Chris is making a big difference.

“So, at first researching energy efficient upgrades, I was a little scared, a little nervous. I was like I don't know how to do these things, but it's simple. All you do is you can go to your hardware store, get a box of LED's. I will tell you that you will see savings. It's simple. You don’t have to be a handyman to do it.”

One of the easiest things that you can do is change out your old inefficient lighting to LEDs.
LED's use 90% less energy than old incandescent lighting, and it lasts up to 15 years. One of the things that we see is that customers don't adequately insulate they're attics and don't use weather stripping. So, for example, you can have the most efficient heating system in your home, but if you have leaky doors and windows, and heat escaping through the attic, you're feeding the exterior air and wasting energy. So, by taking these small steps, you can insulate the house, put weather stripping around the leaky doors and the windows.”

“Something I found by happenstance while I was at the hardware store was, I found these things called door sweeps. And I didn't know too much about them, but apparently, they're these strips that you put on the bottom of your external doors. You know, your front door, your back door, and they're insulated, and they have the glue to stick it to the bottom. And that prevents air flow from coming into the house during the following months for air leaving during the warmer months,”

When it's cold, you can open your window coverings to let in the sunlight and close the air conditioning ducts closed.

“One no cost tip is to lower your thermostat for every degree you lower your thermostat. You'll save 3% in energy savings over the winter, so it's an easy no cost way to save some money. And the best way to do that is to change out your old thermostat with a new smart thermostat.

“I liked the whole idea of a smart thermostat and not really having to adjust it on a weekly basis and go up to it. I can use my phone or what's great is also it learns my motion and like my behaviors. So now I get up and I leave the house. It recognizes that nobody's in the home, so it'll turn the heat lower, which is great. It's cost saving. Another feature I love about the smart thermostat is that it links up to Con Edison's ‘my account’ and it tells me how I'm doing compared to my neighbors, like if you're doing 40% better than your neighbors in terms of energy efficiency. And I'm like, so I guess these upgrades are making gains. You can also look for the Energy Star sticker on your appliances. Energy Star models use 10 to 50% less energy than older models.
Not only do they save energy, but they reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and reduce all reliance on fossil fuels.

You will save so much more energy and money. Let's say I want to live here 20 years, 30 years. I start now. If I start next year, that's better than starting in 10 years. I will see the savings sooner rather than later. Honestly, at the end of all this, it just feels great knowing that I'm doing my Part 1 by living a more sustainable life. And two, by lowering my carbon footprint. Energy efficiency updates will put you on the path towards saving money. And that's especially important as prices are rising into the winter months. For those who need assistance, Con Edison offers support. The HEAP program or the Home Energy Assistance Program, is a program for income eligible customers in New York. Customers can also check eligibility and sign up for a payment assistance program. These programs are for income eligible customers in York to help pay their energy bills. If you qualify, you can get hundreds of dollars to order credit to help pay your heating bills this winter.

See home much you could save this year by making your home more energy efficient:
https://www.coned.com/en/save-money/r...