Being comfortable in your home during the cold as well as the hot months is probably something you think about on a regular basis. In the United States, ensuring there is sufficient heating and cooling accounts for approximately 48% of a home’s typical energy usage. Furthermore, this tends to be the largest energy expense for most people.

In addition to being concerned about the comfort level of your home, you may also be concerned about energy expenditures and the costs associated with them. During the winter, for example, experts recommend that thermostats be set to 68-to-70 degrees during the day. At night, you can maintain comfort and cut down on heating costs by setting your thermostat between 65-to-68 degrees.

If you’re planning to take a winter vacation, experts recommend keeping thermostats on and set at 60 degrees. This practice assists with reducing heating costs by maintaining a steady temperature. Once you return from vacation, it will be easier to increase the temperature to a more comfortable level.

How often do you change your air filters? It’s important to change them at least once every three months. However, it’s been shown that changing them on a monthly basis can reduce both heating and cooling bills.

If your heating and cooling system isn’t working effectively, it’s possible your home isn’t properly sealed or insulated. Attics, in particular, lose heat when not properly insulated. It’s been shown that a heating and cooling system’s efficiency can be improved by up to 20% with proper sealing and insulation.

Another issue that can prevent your heating and cooling systems from working effectively is due to problems with airflow. These can reduce a system’s efficiency by roughly 15%.

When was the last time you replaced your heating or air conditioning unit? If it’s been a number of years, or if your current system isn’t working optimally, you may want to replace your existing unit with an energy-efficient model.

You have probably heard of the ENERGY STAR label. When air conditioners and central heating and cooling units receive this label, they can be 10% more efficient for the former and 15% more efficient for the latter. In addition to maintaining other practices to keep homes cool, high-efficiency air conditions can potentially reduce energy usage by 20%-to-50%. This makes a obvious difference on the overall expense.

Another energy and cost-saving recommendation is to have a programmable thermostat installed. When the pre-programmed settings are properly used, it’s possible to save roughly $180 on an annual basis. Being able to program these units is also convenient, especially when you will be out of the house for work or vacations.

During storm season when the electricity can often go out, it’s important to have back-up generators to supply heat and electricity. If you don’t have a generator, or have never used one before, when you contact a local contractor for a generator installation, they will be able to tell you about the different types of electric generators that are available for your residence.

When a contractor handles your generator installation, they will be able to provide you with information on how electric generators work as well as their company’s available generator services. After your generator installation is complete, you will also want to know about as much as possible about generator preventative maintenance.