Ways to Save: Heating & Cooling

Energy saving tips for heating and cooling

Heating and cooling your home is the largest single factor in your energy bill. These heating and cooling tips can help you to increase the efficiency. To get started, here are some basic tips:

• Identify places that heat escapes from your home. Check for gaps and holes that allow heat to escape, raising your heating bills and making your home drafty and less comfortable.
  
• Check your furnace filter(s) monthly. During the heating season (also during the cooling season if you use air conditioning). The proper time interval for replacing or cleaning filters will vary depending on the rate of accumulation of pet hair, dust, and carpet lint in your home. Check your furnace owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations and instructions.
  
• Lower your thermostat. On average, for each degree you consistently lower your thermostat, your heating energy consumption drops by two percent. Therefore, keep your thermostat at the lowest comfortable setting (68 degrees or lower)
  
• Seal your home's unheated spaces. If ductwork goes through an unheated basement, attic or crawl space, check for leaky joints or disconnected sections. Seal leaky joints with latex duct mastic or foil backed butyl tape. Reconnect any loose sections, seal, and support.
  
• Contact your furnace and/or thermostat manufacturer to assure that your furnace and thermostat are compatible and adjusted appropriately for your home.

Calculate your energy savings

Use these online tools to figure your cost per day for heating and cooling.

Rebate and promotions

Puget Sound Energy has rebates available for qualified natural gas furnaces and high-efficiency air-source heat pumps.