Seasonal Energy Hacks: How to Cut Costs in Summer vs. Winter

When it comes to energy savings, the same ideas often carry over from season to season, just in reverse. Let’s look at a few energy hacks that can help you cut costs in summer and winter with a simple swap.

Thermostat Habits

• Warm Weather: Set your thermostat higher when you’re away to reduce strain during the hottest parts of the day—there’s usually no need to keep an empty home fully cooled. If you’re optimizing for energy efficiency, set the temperature to about 78 degrees when you’re home and at about 82-85 degrees when you’re away.
• Cool Weather: Set it lower when you’re away to avoid big temperature swings that force your system to work harder to recover. For the biggest energy savings, keep your temps at around 68 degrees when you’re home and a bit cooler when you’re out. This will help balance comfort and efficiency in cold weather.

Thermostat Hack: Try using smart or programmable thermostats to make these changes automatically throughout the day, so you never forget.

Ceiling Fan Direction

• Warm Weather: Set your fan to spin counterclockwise to push air down, creating a wind-chill effect that helps you feel cooler without lowering the thermostat. This helps you stay comfortable while saving a little on cooling costs.
• Cool Weather: Reverse your fan to clockwise on a low setting to pull air up and circulate the warm air that rises, keeping heat from collecting at the ceiling. This helps even temperatures and ease strain on your heating system.

Window Strategy

• Warm Weather: Close blinds or curtains during hot days to block sunlight before it heats up your space. Sunlight streaming through windows can elevate temperatures quickly, especially on south- and west-facing sides, and up to 76% of that sunlight turns into heat once it’s inside. Blocking it out will give your AC system a chance to rest.
• Cool Weather: Open them to let sunlight in when it’s chilly, adding natural warmth and reducing the need for heating. Windows are one of the biggest sources of heat loss in a home, so taking advantage of even a few hours of direct sun can help offset that naturally.

Appliance Timing

• Warm Weather: Run ovens, dryers and dishwashers at night so their heat doesn’t add to the daytime cooling load. These appliances can put off a surprising amount of heat, so using them after the sun goes down helps keep indoor temperatures from climbing and gives your AC system a break.
• Cool Weather: Use them during the day to take advantage of the extra warmth they generate. The heat they give off can help warm your space naturally, especially in the afternoon, reducing how much your heating system needs to run.

Vent Positioning

• Warm Weather: Close vents in unused rooms to direct cool air where you need it most. This can help keep main living areas more comfortable without overworking your system, especially during the hottest parts of the day.
• Cool Weather: Open vents and keep airflow steady throughout the home to avoid cold spots and keep heat evenly distributed. Warm air rises, so consistent airflow helps bring that heat back down and keeps rooms from feeling uneven.

Door Positioning

• Warm Weather: Keep interior doors open to help air circulate and prevent warm air from getting trapped in certain rooms. Better airflow helps your system cool more evenly and eliminate hot spots.
• Cool Weather: Close doors to keep heat concentrated in the rooms you’re using and avoid wasting energy in empty spaces. This can make occupied areas feel warmer faster without needing to raise the thermostat for the whole house.

Thanks for reading our blog. We hope these simple swaps help you stay comfortable and save a little energy all year long. Be sure to stay tuned for more and follow us on social media.