In the past 24 hours, it has dropped 30 degrees outside. Yuck!  This is my least favorite time of the year, but we have to make the best of it and trudge onward!

Winter hits, and we notice an increase in our electric and gas bills. What gives? Well, we’re spending more time at home ….. the cold and short days makes it easy to beeline home and park ourselves in front of the TV with lights on and the heat blasting. Kids are home over winter break, which further increases the use of all things electronic! Don’t forget, we have added lights and other decorations that are sucking up the energy usage while we have our homes decorated for the holidays. So what can we do to lessen the energy punch?

– Upgrade your thermostat to one that can be programmed … a smart thermostat even allows you to adjust your HVAC system from your phone, no matter where you are. It is recommended to keep your furnace running around 68 degrees when you are sleeping or away from the home. Do some trial and error to see how far down you can get. Sweatshirts and blankets are fully useful inside a home! 🙂
– Make sure you are regularly changing your furnace filters and that nothing is blocking your air vents.
– One of the most important places to insulate is your attic …. get the job done, and inspect it from time to time.
– If you haven’t already, switch out your light bulbs to LED … they use 75% less energy and last 25x longer than incandescent bulbs. That’s a no-brainer!
– Open up the shades when the sun is out and allow the heat to naturally warm your home.
– Reverse those ceiling fans – clockwise – on a slow speed, to pull the warmth down from the ceiling.
– Install weather stripping around doors and windows.

Considering building a new home and starting from scratch? We build homes with smart design that help to alleviate energy costs over time. Check out our blog post about finishes that explains everything that is included in all of our homes. Scroll through some testimonials from some of our happy clients, and as always, call Lisa or Emily if you have any questions at all about the home building process with Joyner Homes!