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TVA, Decatur Utilities share ways to conserve energy during winter weather

You can take a few simple steps to reduce your energy use and still stay warm during extreme cold.

DECATUR, Ala. — TVA shares a few tips on some immediate steps you can take to conserve energy: 

  • Lower your thermostat to 68 degrees or to a temperature that is both comfortable and safe. 
    • You can offset a lower thermostat setting by setting your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise so warm air circulates down to the surface AND by wearing layered clothing.
  • Weatherstrip leaky doors and windows. Sealing air leaks saves money on power bills. Temporarily, you can use newspaper, paper towels or strips of cloth until you can seal up with more permanent solution.
  • Lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees. 
  • Delay laundry or running your dishwasher until the warmest part of the day. 
  • Keep curtains or blinds on windows facing the sun OPEN to let in solar energy. Close them at night to retain warmth.

Additional steps you can take for long-term energy savings are:

  • Install a programmable thermostat so you can adjust the temperature when you are not home. 
  • Replace incandescent lights with more energy-efficient LED bulbs. 
  • Check your attic area to make sure there is at least 10" of insulation above all heated and cooled areas. Add additional if needed.

Joe Holmes with Decatur Utilities offers these tips. "The biggest consumer of electricity in the home is the home heating system, especially if you're heating with a heat pump or other electric heat.  During these cold, cold temperatures, a heat pump can only effectively operate down to a certain point. And then it begins calling on what's called strip heat and strip heat, a very expensive way to heat your home."

Also, he says to check your attic. "Make sure you have at least ten inches of blown insulation over all your heated and cooled areas. Anywhere in your house is heated and cooled. You want to have ten inches of insulation to keep that heat in. If you have gaps, maybe, you know, maybe you've stored stuff in the attic over the years and it's gotten kind of pushed in and that's thinner in some areas and others that's somewhere we can lose a lot of heat very quickly."

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