SPOKANE, Wash. — A national study conducted by Value Penguin showed that American’s spend more than $1200 on average winterizing their homes and vehicles.
Even with that costly preparation, many key steps are missed that can affect your wallets and the safety of residents where there are harsher winters.
With winter hazards present in Spokane and the Inland Northwest, we turned to Meghan Pinch, the Manager of Energy Efficiency Programs at Avista Utilities to provide tips on how to keep the energy bill low.
“Your heating is typically 40-60% of your total energy use,” Pinch said.
Proper winter preparation and maintenance can help cut down on the higher energy bills seen in the winter.
“If you can see a gap around your window or your door, that is equivalent to a softball sized hole in the wall where air is just leaving,” Pinch said.
She suggests using caulk to help close up drafty areas. Strip caulk can be a cheaper and easier temporary alternative to help keep warm air in and cold air out.
She also suggests turning down the thermostat when leaving the house.
“If you turn your thermostat three degrees down, you’ll save about ten percent of your energy heating,” she said.
As local resident fire up their heaters, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said they have already seen in increase in house fires.
“I think that first snowfall was a catalyst event for a lot of people to get more prepared. Often times, stores do a good job. When they put out the snow shovels, they put out carbon monoxide detectors, and smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers,” Chief Schaeffer said.
He said now is the time to open and clean the flue for fireplaces, especially for homes that use fireplaces for essential heat. He also says to pay attention to where combustible materials are being placed, keeping items like newspapers, groceries, and even toys away from heaters and stoves.
“When you do have a portable heating device that is electrical, make sure it’s UL listed, and then secondly, plug it into a wall,” he said.
With the uptick in house fires, he suggests going over fire safety plans.
“Closing a door is probably the number one most critical responsibility for all of us because smoke travels when it hits a door, it gives you more time to escape,” he said.
