Winter in Manitoba has lots to offer, from skating trails to Festival du Voyageur to ice fishing. But if you’ve lived here for more than five minutes, you know that our winters can be unforgiving.
Minus 30 temperatures can stop even the hardiest of Manitobans in their tracks. To add insult to injury, these cold temperatures often put a strain on our energy bills.
The good news? You can enjoy a warm and toasty home and cut your energy bills at the same time. January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, and to celebrate, we’ve made a list of our top energy saving tips for winter. Not only will these tips help you save on your energy bills, but they’ll help keep you nice and cozy when Old Man Winter has other plans.
Winter energy efficiency tips
- Head outside! Turn off your electronic devices and take in the arts, culture, and wildlife our province has to offer in the winter. Check out Travel Manitoba’s website for a collection of fun winter activities that you and your family can enjoy.
- If you decide to brave the cold, lower the temperature on your thermostat before you leave the house. This is especially easy to do with a programmable or smart thermostat.
- Has your furnace been serviced lately? If not, we recommend having a professional give your heating system a check-up to make sure it’s running efficiently.
- Stop warm air from leaking outside your home. Caulk and seal gaps around windows, doors, baseboards, and electrical outlets.
- If you have a wood fireplace, make sure the damper is closed when you’re not using your fireplace. This way, warm air won’t escape up your chimney.
- Use window insulating kits on the insides of your windows. They’re easy to install, relatively inexpensive, and help to reduce chilly drafts.
- Let the light in! Keep window blinds open during the day to take advantage of the sun’s warm rays.
- Clean your vents, radiators, and baseboard heating so air flows efficiently.
- Your block heater only needs to be plugged in for three hours for it to heat your engine. By using a car plug timer, you can cut all that wasted energy.
- Do you have a heat recovery ventilator? If you do, now’s the time to set your control to a lower setting. Set the dehumidistat just low enough to prevent condensation on your windows.