3 Things You Can Do To Save Money On Heating And Cooling Costs

For most homeowners or renters, heating and cooling costs are the most expensive utility costs that they pay each month. Unless you live in a perfect climate, there’s a good chance that you’re going to be turning on your heater or air conditioner at least a few times each month. But if your home isn’t set up properly, a lot of this money can just become wasted.

To help you avoid this, here are three things you can do to save money on heating and cooling costs.

Work With Your Windows

One of the first places you should look when trying to save money on heating and cooling is your windows. Hot and cold air can generally easily penetrate these areas, as well as the heat from the sun being able to enter.

Depending on what temperature you want your home, you may want to consider putting up sunscreens or window shades in the summer to block the sun or additional insulation to keep out the cold in the winter. By doing this, FamilyHandyman.com shares that not only will you be saving money on your heating or cooling costs, but you’ll have much more precise control over what temperature you allow your home to get so that you can be perfectly comfortable at all times.

Replace Your Air Filters Appropriately

For the times when you do have to turn on your heater or your air conditioner, you’ll want to be sure that those systems are running as efficiently as possible so that you’re not wasting energy or money.

One thing that you should check regularly to ensure that your heating and cooling systems are functioning at their optimal level, according to Erin Huffstetler, a contributor to The Spruce, is your furnace air filter. If this air filter gets clogged up with a bunch of debris, it can make your system have to work much harder to pump that air through it, which can cause your bills to jump sky high. But by making this small change on a regular basis, you can save each month on your heating or cooling bill.

Install A Smart Thermostat

Ideally, you should try to be using your heater or air conditioner as little as possible to save maximum dollars. And while you can manually adjust the temperature during different times of the day to get these results, Libby Wells, a contributor to Bankrate.com, shares that it’s much easier to just install a smart thermostat that takes care of this for you.

While it usually takes about a year to offset the costs of having the thermostat installed, it can take a lot of the guesswork out of maximizing your HVAC system and minimize your costs over time.

If you’re needing to save on heating and cooling costs, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find ways to do this.