Frigid cold will hit Michigan over the next few days, and your furnace will use more natural gas and electricity to keep you comfortable.
This will likely increase your next energy bill. Here are a few tips to lower your energy usage and lessen the impact on your upcoming bill.
First, understand what impacts your winter energy bill
- You use your furnace in the winter to warm your home, which uses both natural gas and electricity.
- Your furnace works extra hard to keep you comfortable during extreme weather, even if you lower your thermostat setting. It will work even harder if your home isn’t well-insulated or if you have old windows where air can escape.
- Colder and shorter days mean spending more time indoors, turning on more lights, using more electronics and setting thermostats higher.
Easy ways to lower your energy usage
- Adjust your thermostat to a comfortable level and lower it a few degrees at night or when you’re away. Remember – the bigger the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the higher your energy costs.
- Uncover vents by moving furniture and drapes so heat can circulate freely throughout your home.
- Replace your furnace filter if you haven’t changed it in the past three months to increase the efficiency of your unit and airflow.
- Turn off unused lights or use timers for lamps and holiday decorations to cut down on unnecessary energy use.
- Allow warm sunlight in windows during the day and cover them at night to reduce drafts.
- Reverse your ceiling fans to run clockwise, which draws warm air near the ceiling down throughout the room.
Analyze your home’s energy usage
See how you used energy during last year’s extreme cold spells with our free Bill Analyzer Tool, available in your DTE online account. The tool can help you better understand how your home uses energy, so you can make the best decisions for your budget and plan for the winter ahead.
Plus, our DTE Insight App has easy-to-use features that help you understand, manage and control your energy use, and reduce your monthly bill.
If someone you know needs a warm place to stay, visit our list of warming centers.
Need help paying your bill? Contact DTE as soon as possible so we can connect you with the help you need. Visit dteenergy.com/help for more information.