When extreme cold hit our communities last week, our first priority was to keep the power flowing to make sure our customers stayed warm and safe. But we also know that for customers like you who use electric heat, when very cold weather sets in, it can impact your energy bill. With that in mind, here are some tips and tools that could help you control your energy use and manage your bills when temperatures drop:
- Set your thermostat to 68°F when you are home and have the heat on.*
- If your home is unoccupied during the day, schedule the thermostat to adjust to a lower temperature during unoccupied hours to reduce the amount of time the heating equipment has to run. Decrease thermostat set points by 7-10°F during the winter if your home will be unoccupied for 8 or more hours.* If you have a manual thermostat, you can decrease the temperature setting manually.
- If you have a smart thermostat set it to automatically decrease the temperature when you leave home and before going to sleep.
- Set the temperature on your hot water tank to 120°F. If there is no temperature reading, reduce it to a setting that will still provide hot water at an adequate temperature.
- Check your furnace filter. If it looks dirty after a month, change it. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm thus wasting energy.
- Make sure that there are no obstructions (i.e. furniture) near the baseboard heating equipment or air vents, restricting proper air circulation, resulting in the heating system being less effective.
- Open the curtains or blinds during the day to bring the sun’s free heat into your home. Close your window coverings when the sun goes down to keep the heat inside.
- Consider weatherization upgrades in your home by improving attic/wall insulation and air/duct sealing. For more information, please visit ComEd.com/Weatherization or call 855-433-2700.
*U.S. Department of Energy recommendations
