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How to Reduce Your High Energy Bills During Cold Winter Months

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Energy costs, especially natural gas, are rising, and consumers are feeling that pain when their monthly bills arrive. What steps can you as a homeowner take to reduce your natural gas use during these cold winter months?


Why are natural gas prices rising? The first reason is that major storage hubs of natural gas have bloated stockpiles from a mild winter last year. Less gas was used, so gas production has slowed and prices have risen (Maguire, 2024).


Thus, consumers pay the price for not using as much natural gas as was predicted.


Energy companies suggest lowering your house thermostat to reduce your gas consumption, but even though our house is set at 65 degrees, we're still paying exorbitant energy bills.


Your first step should be to check your furnace. Look at the filter and see if it needs to be replaced. Does your furnace need a tune-up? Call a reputable HVAC company to inspect your furnace. Prices vary, but expect it to cost between $75-$200, depending on size of furnace and HVAC company.


Check your attic insulation. You can open the attic hatch and peak inside to see how well-insulated your attic is, or during the next snowstorm, look at your roof to see how much snow has melted off. If you're roof is nearly empty of snow, you don't have much attic insulation since the heat in your home is rising and melting the snow from your roof.


Insulation is giving an R rating, which means "resistance value." This indicates how well the insulation resists heat flow. A higher R value means a better insulation.


Colorado homes in the Denver-Metro area should have at least R-49 insulation in their attics. In the mountains, an R-60 is much better for keeping homes warm.


There are plenty of insulation companies around, and of course, I have my favorite. If you think you need attic insulation, reach out and let me know.


Another method of keeping your home warm is wall insulation. Our house is old, and when I was doing some remodeling, I found that our exterior walls upstairs didn't have much insulation in them.


To blow insulation into the walls, a small hole is cut in the drywall every foot, and then a hose is attached to the hole to blow the insulation in. Our upstairs is much warmer since we added wall insulation.


Check your windows as well. If you have aluminum window frames, you can purchase window insulation film (I recommend the clear film) to apply to your windows. This will help keep air from leaking through your windows. If you notice the caulk around the windows is cracked or missing, you can buy caulk and redo it. Or you can call your local favorite handyman to apply the caulk.


Thermal window drapes can also keep your windows from leaking. These can be purchased anywhere, from Target and Walmart to department stores that sell drapes. Cellular shades are also a good option if you don't like thermal drapes; these are custom made to fit your windows and provide extra protection from the cold seeping through your windows.


Check the weatherstripping at the bottom of your exterior doors. If it's cracked or missing, you can purchase weatherstripping and add it to the bottom of the doors.


As for cost, insulation can cost between $1000-4000, depending on size of attic and lineal feet of walls.


Xcel will also put you in touch with an energy professions to come and inspect your home to find where heat escapes, called Home Energy Audit. A Home Energy Audit could potentially cost between $50-$150, but it could give you good information about where you have leaks and how to improve your home.


While turning down your thermostat during cold weather months will help a little, making sure your home is sealed to prevent heat leaks will be better for you. Yes, there are upfront costs with adding insulation, caulk, weatherstripping, drapes or shades, and window film, but over time, you will notice a warmer house and lower gas bills.


Maguire, G. (10 Sept. 2024). US natural gas markets point to steep price rise in 2025. Reuters. reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-natural-gas-markets-point-steep-rise-2025-marguire-2024-9-10/

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