Winter Energy Saving Tips

Want to stay warm while keeping your energy bill low this winter?  Follow Whisper Valley’s winter energy saving tips to help you save money and increase your home’s overall efficiency.

Start off by setting your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower in the winter. Each degree higher uses 3 percent more energy in your home! Encourage family members to wear warm clothing and open curtains and shades during the day to let more heat inside.

Home still feeling drafty? Caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors as an inexpensive and easy way to keep cold air out. You can also easily add insulation to water heaters and hot water pipes to save energy and money.

Don’t forget to clean those air filters monthly. Dirty air filters make your system work longer than necessary.

Other Energy Saving Tips

We’ve sung the praises in our past energy-saving blogs about LED light bulbs. LEDs use 90 percent less electricity, generate less heat, and last 10-25 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs, and five times longer than Compact Florescent Light bulbs.

Another tip to implement year-round: unplug appliances and electronics when not in use. Did you know these devices can zap energy even when their turned off?

Energy use in the kitchen can account for as much as 15 percent of your electric bill. Give your oven and wallet a break by using the oven light to check on the food instead of opening the door. Use a slow cooker or microwave oven to save energy.

Upgrade to an Energy-Efficient Home

Are you living in an older home and dreaming of upgrading to a new, energy-efficient home in the New Year? Whisper Valley is unlike any other community in Texas thanks to our innovative and sustainable design. Our EcoSmart program employs a first-of-its-kind geothermal energy loop field in combination with solar PV systems to make our homes zero-energy capable.

Whisper Valley is excited to deliver sustainable housing to Austin. For more information about the EcoSmart Solution and homes in Whisper Valley, contact us.