Staying Warm Without Going Broke

As you have probably already noticed, the weather has turned chilly. As you may not have noticed, our public utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, says winter heating bills will rise this year. Residential customers can expect to pay about $16 more for natural gas for the period of October through February.

But soft! What light through yon window breaks? It’s a compact fluorescent lamp, actually, which along with this list of tips and tricks and helpful Web sites for energy saving, can help offset the increase. The biggest way to save on heating costs:

Customers can make a big difference in heating costs by decreasing a home’s temperature by 5 to 10 degrees during the night or when no one is home, according to Consumer Reports magazine.

In a year, this tactic can slash bills as much as 20 percent, the magazine reported in August.

Also, PG&E has a 10/20 Program through which customers can earn credits for reducing natural gas use to below the three-year average for their home or business in January and February. For more information, call PG&E’s Smarter Energy Line at (800) 933-9555.

Another big energy-saver: Seal leaks, cracks and gaps in the duct distribution system for furnaces. Doing so can save more than if a new, more efficient furnace were installed, the report said.

And don’t forget those compact fluorescents for overall savings!

For more tips on saving energy and keeping bills down, visit this page on the PG&E site.

Or feel free to click on the Comment button and share your own tips! (Photo: smile4camera)