Curious about the outlook for your household heating bill this winter?
National Grid – the energy delivery company for the greater part of Central New York – has a few tips.
“We have about 576,000 residential and business customers in Central and Northern New York that receive electricity from National Grid, “ said Strategic Communications Manager Jared Paventi. “Nearly 141,000 of these customers are in the Mohawk Valley.”
According to National Grid, residential natural gas heating bills are expected to decrease 18% for the 2023-24 winter heating season.
During the five-month winter heating season — Nov. 1, 2023, to Mar. 30, 2024 — costs are forecasted to be $143 less than last winter.
There are lots of no-cost actions you can take to lower your energy bill. While they may seem small, these minor changes can add up to make a difference.
Cost-saving tips
Let your thermostat think for itself. Set your thermostat to the lowest temperature to maintain comfort and safety. For every 1 degree Fahrenheit you set your thermostat back, you may save between 1 to 3 percent on your annual heating bill. When you install programmable thermostats you can lower the heat when you go out of town for the weekend.
“When you install an Energy Star certified smart thermostat it automatically lowers the setting at night and when no one is home to save $15 a month,” said Paventi.
Welcome natural sunlight. When you keep drapes or blinds open during the day the sun will help warm your space. Be sure to close them again at night, to help insulate your home.
Plan routine utility checkups. Free home energy audits are available to homeowners and last about an hour. National Grid recommends having your heating and cooling systems serviced once a year to optimal maintain performance.
Changing your disposal furnace filter and cleaning replaceable filters is also suggested.
Airflow matters. Dirty air filters impede airflow, which makes heating systems work harder and use more energy.
During the winter, flip the switch at the top of your ceiling vans. This changes the fan to operate in a clockwise direction, pushing warm air back down in the room. Change it back to counter-clockwise during the summer to draw hot air away from you.
Swap out lightbulbs. “A 100-watt incandescent bulb and 16.6-watt LED bulb each provide about 1,500 lumens of brightness,” said Paventi. “LEDs pay for themselves over time.”
Replacing five incandescent bulbs with LEDs can save more than $11 per month.
Flip the switch before you leave your house. Just by turning off lights, appliances, TVs, stereos, and computers you can save roughly $9 a month, Natural Grid said.
Unplug your phantom energy users. Anything with a digital display is using energy even when it’s not in use.
By unplugging your electric space heater or hot tub alone you can save $41 a month. An advanced power strip does the work for you; you can plug in multiple items on the strip and turn it off – all at once – as needed.
Opt for cold laundry cycles. Washing your clothes in cold water can save you $9 per month. Another energy-saving hack, by timing your wash the dryer won’t have enough time to cool down in between loads.
Repair and replace. Repairing leaky faucets saves $6 per month, National Grid said. Replacing an old fridge saves $23 per month.
Caulk or weatherstrip windows and doors to keep the warm air in and save $13 a month.
“Insulation makes a huge difference for your energy bill, trapping heat produced by your heating system and preventing it from radiating from the house,” said Paventi. “A well-insulated home can save up to 20 percent on annual heating and cooling costs.
Clean energy alternative
“One of the ways National Grid is leading the clean energy transition is by encouraging the use of heat pump technology,” explained Paventi. “Geothermal, or ground-source, heat pumps present long-term cost savings to customers while reducing their carbon footprints.”
Air-source heat pumps offer an alternative for when geothermal is not an option. There is a section on the National Grid website dedicated to heat pump transitions, including how to tell which heat pump is right for you. The company also offers rebates to customers who purchase a qualifying heat pump and use a participating contractor.
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