Keeping “Warm” for the Holidays- Gift your Home this Holiday Season
Though this holiday season may be different for many families, there are still many ways to celebrate, decorate and have some fun. Here are some tips to keep your home warm and cozy and energy-efficient this holiday season, so you and your family can best embrace the end of the year.
Make Your Decorations Energy-Efficient
While putting up decorations can be a must for many homes, protecting your home’s energy usage is just as important. Nothing makes a space cozier than the soft lighting, tradition, and sense of nostalgia each decoration can bring; if your indoor decorations are able to light up a room, consider using these instead of having additional lights (like overhead lights) on at the same time to help manage your energy usage while the decorations are up. If they happen to require electricity and plugs, putting these decorations on a timed outlet to help lower your energy use, while still being able to enjoy the decorations you put so much effort in putting up.
With outdoor decorations, save energy by not having the decorations on all day. Choose set times that your decorations are on, like the evening, to considerably lessen the amount of energy your decorations would be using. Using LED light bulbs, as opposed to incandescent lights, can also help to lessen your energy usage by 75 percent1 (when compared to incandescent lights) and last longer — saving both your money and the life of your decorations.
Stock up on Blankets and Selectively Seat your Home
Instead of turning up the heat, stock up on lots of cozy blankets that will keep you warm from the cold winter weather. Nothing beats cuddling up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa. Blankets can also keep you warm at night, allowing you to turn down the heat in your house while you’re sleeping.
Turning down your heat at night about 5-10 degrees, while having your heat set to about 68 degrees during the day, can help you save big on your energy usage. Here at Revise, we’re even offering mini-split heat pumps, which can heat rooms selectively without the use of air ducts, and hence, get rid of the need for centralized heating. Rather than overheating your entire house, a ductless mini split will allow you to add warmth to just the rooms you’re using. Either way, keeping these blankets handy is a great way to stay warm at night, and during the day if you feel slightly cold. Holiday-themed blankets are also a great way to get your living spaces in the holiday spirit– it’s a win-win all around.
Have your Fireplace Inspected
Have a professional come and perform a visual inspection on your wood-burning fireplace, both inside and out. This can help your fireplace run smoothly and safely during the holidays. On the outside, the professional will make sure that the chimney cap is present and not damaged, there aren’t any tree limbs near the chimney, the chimney isn’t leaning to the left or right, and the roof flashing is tight against the chimney. For the inside, they check that your flue damper opens, closes, and seals correctly, there aren’t any animal nests or combustible materials in the flue, and the firebox or bricks surrounding the fireplace don’t’ have any cracks or missing mortar.
Gas fireplaces do require less maintenance, but if you own one, make sure to have it inspected as well. Inspectors will check the glass for cracks, check that the gas logs are positioned correctly, test the igniter while turning off the gas, and look for clogged burner holes. These simple, yet extremely effective steps, could be crucial to keeping your home safe and warm this upcoming season. There’s no need for added stress, so make sure to schedule an inspection before the holiday season is in full swing.
Schedule a No-Cost Virtual Energy Assessment
Tips like these will help keep your home warm and ready for the holiday spirit, despite the world’s current events, without a doubt. If you want to be sure that your home is going to keep you and your family warm and cozy while celebrating this year, we have your back. As a Mass Save® partner, Revise will make it extremely easy to do a no-cost virtual home energy assessment – we’ll be sure to take some of the incoming stress of the holidays off of your plate. Just in time for your celebrations, the Mass Save sponsors are offering 75% off approved insulation that could come to light through your assessment–making your home more energy-efficient, at a great low cost.
Heat Where You Are, Not Where You Aren’t
As previously mentioned, we even have mini-split heat-pumps available. These “zoned HVAC” systems don’t require ducts, as they use the air already present to heat the room. By only heating rooms in use (instead of through centralized heating), you can save lots of money by reducing energy usage – which can instead go towards your holiday fund. Contact us by phone at 877-921-5144 to take the first steps towards savings today.
