Sheldon, Iowa — With the wintery weather making a comeback and lows flirting with zero by Friday night — it might be a good time to make sure you’re getting all you can get — as efficiently as possible — from your furnace.
We talked to MidAmerican Energy spokesperson Geoff Greenwood and he gave us a few tips on how to keep your heating bills low this winter. He says they suggest lowering the setpoint on your thermostat, especially when you’re sleeping or not at home — but if you can throw on a sweater, you may be able to turn it down when you’re home too.
Greenwood says there’s a way to make that even easier if you’re willing to spend a little money to save some money — a programmable thermostat or a “smart” thermostat.
According to Greenwood, another thing you can do is keeping your window treatments open during sunny days, especially any windows that you have that face south. As he puts it, that’s “free heat from the sun.” He says to make sure your heat registers are not blocked by furniture, rugs, or drapes. Greenwood tells us you can also check your windows and doors for drafts and caulk or weatherstrip them or replace them if they’re too inefficient. Also, make sure to keep your fireplace damper closed when you’re not using the fireplace, and look into tempered glass doors if your fireplace doesn’t have them.
Insulation is another way to hold in the heat, according to Greenwood.
He also tells us about a way that you can save energy year-round.
Find out more information including a link to complete your own home energy assessment at midamericanenergy.com.
