Warm up to Winter Energy Savings

The lower the temperatures have fallen this winter, the higher you've probably seen your electric bill climb. After all, heating is one of the greatest energy expenses in your home. So, although you can't control the weather, the following simple conservation tips from West Florida Electric Cooperative can help ensure your next energy bill doesn't leave you cold:

In the fall and winter, set your thermostat at 68oF, then leave it there. For every degree above 68, you're paying for a 5 percent increase in your energy use for heating. That might not sound like much, until you realize that, when you set your thermostat at 72oF, you're using 20 percent more energy to heat your home.

Wait until you retire for the evening to run your dishwasher, and use it on the energy-efficiency setting.

Wash and dry clothes after 9 p. m., when the evening peak in energy use has passed.

Wash clothes in cold water.

Use a microwave oven rather than an electric range to prepare meals. Prepare food in quantity over the weekend and reheat it in the microwave during the week.

Boost your water heater's efficiency by wrapping it in an insulated blanket to help the unit retain heat. Set the thermostat on 120oF or "A", no higher. If possible, install a timer.

Insulate hot water pipes and ducts whereever they run through unheated areas.

Seal up the largest air leaks in your house - the ones that whistle on windy days or feel drafty. The worst culprits usually aren't windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.

Replace leaky windows with energy-efficient models or boost their efficiency with weatherstripping and storm windows.

If you have a waterbed, make it up each day. The covers will insulate it and save up to one-third of the energy it uses.

Clean or replace furnace or heat-pump filters.