Top 5 Energy Sappers and What To Do About Them This Winter

Top 5 Energy Sappers and What To Do About Them This Winter

air leaks, Alton, ductwork, Energy, energy savings, Glen Carbon, Greenville, Hamel, heat loss, Highland, Illinois, insulation, lower energy costs, Troy

Achieving a comfortable indoor temperature in the winter can be a balancing act between your household finances and building a good buffer against the chilly temperatures outside. This problem worsens if you are unaware of the energy and heated air that may be literally leaking away from your home.

Energy Sappers Hurt Your Hip Pocket

An assault on your energy costs can come from two areas:

  • Idle equipment using power unnecessarily – think about all those devices you have plugged in with the power switch still on, and the device in standby, sleep or low-power mode.
  • Problems with the physical structure of your house that allow warm air to leak outside, and heat energy to transfer through uninsulated walls and ceilings.

These issues can add significantly to your power usage and higher energy bills. While everybody’s home is different, there likely are some everyday energy sappers in your own home.

Top Five Energy Sappers

Have a good look at these common causes of energy loss:

  1. Drafts caused by air leaks around doors and windows, attics and ductwork
  2. Televisions (commonly left in standby mode, and chewing through power)
  3. Home computer and peripheral devices (Printers are often left powered on, along with computer monitors and other hardware.)
  4. Home entertainment and stereo systems (often left in standby mode)
  5. Lighting (High-efficiency bulbs save money.)

Look around and you’ll probably find other energy sappers in your home – the coffee pot that’s on most of the day, or the mobile phone or MP3 charger left plugged in.

Stopping Energy Sappers in Your Home

Here are three simple ways to improve your energy consumption:

  • Unplug devices that you don’t need on all day.
  • Use energy-saving features of computers and other devices – most have energy-saving settings.
  • Get your home checked for air leaks and missing or inadequate insulation, and then address those issues.

Expert Assistance

For friendly no-obligation expert assistance about eliminating home energy sappers and other issues related to home comfort, contact Ernst Heating & Cooling. We have been serving Southwest Illinois, including Marysville, Bethalto and Alton, for more than 50 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, and Troy, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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