To make sure you have the best energy plan for you and your family’s energy usage, contact your energy provider now to see if you’re all set.

Some electric companies offer a Time of Use plan that charges you based on the time of day when you use the most energy. Overnight hours are usually less expensive in these plans.

Morning and afternoon rates usually fall in the middle range of rates per kilowatt hour. Evening hours are typically 4-8 pm and are the most expensive. These hours are usually when more people are home and using the most energy.

If you decide to change your laundry and dishwashing hours to periods of the day with the least amount of energy usage, you will be able to save more money over time.

If you have all-electric appliances, your energy provider may be able to offer lower-cost plans than the one you are currently on. If you don’t need gas for your heating or cooking appliances, make sure you check with your energy provider to see if they offer a more cost-effective plan for your current situation.

You’ve probably already heard that the little things will add up over time, but it’s still very true when it comes to your winter bills.

When you look closely at everything, every day we make choices (consciously and unconsciously) that impact our home expenses. Here are several small changes you can make to your routines to help you save big money:

• Maximize your home energy usage: Start by turning off lights in rooms that aren’t being used. You could even swap out old lightbulbs with newer LED bulbs that use less energy. You should also close your fireplace damper when it’s not being used so that you don’t lose heat through the opening. The same goes for your windows. You should make sure they’re closed and properly sealed so you don’t lose excess heat. If you think your doors are letting heat out, you can use door stops or door socks to trap in more heat.
• Check your car’s tire pressure: When it gets cold out, the air inside of a tire compresses, and this results in less tire pressure. When your tires are underinflated, they can result in less fuel efficiency for your car. Underinflated tires can also result in less traction, and if driving conditions are treacherous, this can put you in a bad spot for a car crash. You can check your tire pressure for free at many gas stations and even air them up for free as well. You can also buy your own tire pressure gauge to keep with you so you can keep an eye on your tires as you drive through the winter months.
• Only use necessary holiday lighting: We all have those neighbors that put up what seems like thousands of lights for the holidays. Although this may look nice for the time being, their bills are likely skyrocketing. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to refrain from holiday lights, though. This just means you don’t have to go overboard with them. Find what you think will fit into your budget and celebrate accordingly.

Holiday lights are a fun aspect of being a homeowner and they’re a great way of putting your family in the holiday spirit. Just don’t forget that your decorations can use up a lot of energy. Make sure you consider some energy-efficient options like LED lights or decorations that don’t need to be plugged in. There are many battery-powered decorations that you could change to, or you could put your decorations on a timer so they aren’t using power throughout the night.

You need to stay warm during the winter, but make sure you’re thinking of ways of staying warm that don’t require you to set your thermostat really high.

According to energy.gov, you can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling if you set your thermostat back 10 degrees from where your normal temperature is. So, make sure you have some fun blankets and add another layer of warmth to your bedding. These small adjustments will help you save more money over time, and even though your heat might not be at a high temperature, your house will still be warm enough to live in.

If you think there are areas in your house that are getting colder than other areas, you could buy an efficient space heater. If you try to heat the whole house with a space heater, you won’t save any money, but if they’re used in small spaces on a smaller scale, you should be all good.

You could also invest in a smart thermostat like a Google Nest. Smart thermostats learn your family’s patterns and adjust themselves to the proper amount of heating and cooling when people are gone or coming home. They are proven to help you save money over time.

Heating a home is responsible for almost 30% of a homeowner’s utility bill according to energy.gov. Simply put, heating a home is one of the biggest sources of energy consumption during the winter time.

You can choose to hire a professional to inspect your HVAC system so they can make sure you won’t have any problems in the future. No one wants to be left with a freezing cold house.

The technician can also find problems and fix them right there. They can also look at your furnace filter and recommend if it needs to be replaced. This will help your system run at its best.

When the weather gets cold, there is always the temptation of turning up the heat. Don’t forget that when you do this you’re also cranking up your bills. Follow these tips so that you can save yourself some money during the winter months.

If you are looking for a loan or homeownership-related questions, get in contact with First Option Mortgage of Indianapolis today!