For many, the turning of the seasons and the approach of the holiday season means skyrocketing energy bills. The heater is cranked up, the gifts are bought and the relatives are housed. However, you can reduce your stress, save money and lower your winter energy bills with these three easy tips.

1. Wear warm clothes around the house.
The biggest culprit of high winter energy bills is your heater. Wearing long sleeves, pants and socks in your home will allow you to lower the temperature on your thermostat while remaining comfortable. Dropping the set temperature on your thermostat by one degree Fahrenheit can save you up to 3% on your winter energy bills.

2. Check for air leaks.
Again, your heating system can be the largest energy user in your home during the winter. Make sure your heated air is not being wasted by costly air leaks. Even seemingly small cracks can add up. For example, a 1/8-inch gap all the way around your door is a larger area than a five-inch square hole in your wall.  The EPA estimates that the typical homeowners can reduce their winter energy bill up to 20% by sealing leaks.

Places to look for air leaks:

• Exterior doors and windows
• Plumbing vent
• Wiring holes
• Recessed lights
• Duct vents and registers
• Furnace flue
• Attic hatch
• Air Ducts

3. Improve your system’s efficiency
Your furnace has gone unused for several months, but that is soon to change. This holiday season, you can help reduce the strain on your furnace by doing a couple simple things.

• Get a tune-up – After being unused for so long, you should have your furnace or heat pump inspected by a heating and cooling professional to make sure its ready to run efficiently when called upon. It’s always cheaper to maintain the your heater now then to replace it later.
• Change your air filter – A dirty air filter is the number one reason your heater may not be running as well as it should be. All the air going into your heating system passes through the filter, which collects impurities that may otherwise harm your system. When the filter becomes dirty, less air can pass through, making the heater use more power to run. Check your filters at least monthly and replace when dirty.
• Install a programmable thermostat – Programmable thermostats allow you to stop heating your home unnecessarily when no one is home. A programmable thermostat will lower the temperature while you are at work or away and then come back up at a set time upon your return.

The holidays already mean increased spending on gifts, food and travel. But you can take a load off your wallet ,as well as your heater, by making sure your home is ready for the winter heating season.

Schedule a furnace tune-up today with HVAC Warehouse and ensure your heater is ready to go this holiday season.