PEORIA, Ill. — Most of us have experienced higher utility bills this summer, and, it looks like the situation won’t improve much this winter.
Brad Johnson, with AAA Northgate- One Hour Heating and Air, says to bring heating bills down, make sure your windows and doors have a good seal on them, and set the temperature back when you can.
“If they’re on a work schedule that they’re routinely out of the home, if they don’t have a setback-style thermostat or a programmable thermostat, just by lowering the temperature during the day, or even at night when they’re in bed, just by a few degrees, they can save five to ten percent on their heating bills just by doing that,” said Johnson.
Johnson says if your schedule varies, there are thermostats that connect to your phone’s WIFI, so you can adjust the temperature up or down when you need to.
Johnson says increasing sunlight in your home makes a difference.
“If they’ve got southern-facing windows, make sure that the drapes and the curtains are open, and let the sunshine in during the day,” said Johnson. “There’s a lot of heat energy that will pick up just by letting the shunshine in. At night, they’ll want to close those curtains just to keep the warm air in the house.”
Johnson also suggests checking the insulation in your attic, as well as changing the air filters frequently to get the best air flow.
Johnson also says Ameren Illinois does have a program that could help with costs.
“It’s what they call the ‘Income Qualified Program,'” said Johnson. “It’s geared toward moderate- and low-income families. If they qualify, not only do they have to qualify from a financial perspective, but the home also has to qualify. So, they’ll need to have somebody come out and do an audit on the home.”
Johnson says the first step is to go to AmerenIllinoisSavings.com and apply.
If you qualify, Ameren has subsidies to help pay for some heating and cooling upgrades for your home.
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