By Katie Conroy of <\/i>advicemine.com<\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p> When the temperature drops, the electricity bill often rises accordingly. Those chilly winter months can make it a real challenge when it comes to staying warm in your house, and most years, the energy bill reflects all that extra effort you have to put into keeping yourself and your family comfortable. At a certain point, however, it might be smart to start looking into ways you can lessen the amount of energy your home consumes so that you can save money on those bills each month.<\/span><\/p> You might even be surprised at some of the simple ways that you can easily shave dollars and cents off your energy bill. There are tons of strategies that can help you save money, from improving certain parts of your home to swapping out your<\/span> old thermostat<\/span><\/a> and\/or furnace for ones that might be a bit more modern and energy-efficient.<\/span><\/p> Courtesy of<\/span> Utility Junction<\/span><\/a>, check out a few top strategies for saving money on your energy bill this coming winter…and perhaps even for years to come!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Many homeowners might not realize that their\u00a0outmoded appliances<\/a>\u00a0can seriously run up those energy bills. Getting yourself a new furnace \u2014 something of a major project \u2014 can be a seriously effective way of reducing your energy consumption and the bills that reflect it, especially in the long run.<\/p> A new furnace, in many instances, can cost you\u00a0quite a bit<\/a>\u00a0of money depending on which type of unit you select. There are also labor costs to consider, of course; sometimes, this can account for a substantial amount of the total budget. You\u2019ll want to look online to find the best contractor in your area who can get the job done. Someone who specializes in HVAC systems is probably going to get you the best results for a new furnace installation.<\/p> Something else to remember: certain home improvements, like investing in a new furnace, can also\u00a0increase<\/a>\u00a0your home’s appraisal value. Just make sure you\u2019re keeping and\u00a0carefully<\/a>\u00a0organizing all those receipts!<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> One of the things that can seriously impact your energy bill is the presence of things like cracks (especially in windows, though you\u2019ll need to hire someone to replace window glass for you), intrusions, or gaps in places that should normally be sealed in your home. During the warmer months, these things might be easy to ignore, but they can contribute to a pretty expensive problem when it starts to get cold out. If you need\u00a0home window repair<\/a>, costs average $290 per window depending on the repair and window type. When working with window repair contractors, insist that they\u2019re licensed and insured.<\/p> Another great way to lower the utility bills in your home is by finding small ways to reduce your overall energy consumption. Replacing\u00a0standard light bulbs<\/a>\u00a0with LEDs, for example, is one great way to lower your bills.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> There are many smart thermostat options available now, and this type of upgrade is a great way to save money on utilities. A smart thermostat monitors your patterns throughout the day to learn the best times to increase and reduce temperature, thus ensuring your comfort at the ideal time as well as energy efficiency. Best of all, you can remotely control these thermostats from your smartphone or even via your home’s voice assistant.<\/p> There are plenty of ways to reduce your\u00a0energy consumption<\/a>\u00a0and the bills that come along with it, especially as the weather starts to get colder. While this is normally a time of year that incurs extra costs, these strategies will help you save money and enjoy a comfortable living space at the same time, most likely for years to come.<\/p>![\"budget,](\"https:\/\/utilityjunction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/warm-and-cozy-g32435bedf_1280-1024x682.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tConsider Getting a New Furnace<\/h3>
Give Your Home a Spot Check<\/h3>
Look into a Thermostat Upgrade<\/h3>
![\"utility](\"https:\/\/utilityjunction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Untitled-design-22-1024x692.png\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t