As temperatures stay cold, Channel 2 Action News has tips to stay warm without melting your budget

ATLANTA — Cold winter months usually mean higher heating bills.

Don’t let worry freeze you up, Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon has a few tips on how to stay warm while keeping within your budget.

Cranking up the heat is one way to stay toasty and warm, but there are other ways to reduce energy use while also saving costs on your electric bill.

“We have pets at home so we don’t want to turn it down for them,” Michael Zhang told Channel 2 Action News. “We try to keep it about 72, maybe at night time when we go to sleep we turn it down to 70.”

While Zhang said he doesn’t alter the thermostat temperature much, he recently installed a new heating and cooling system to be more energy efficient.

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If you’re not in the market for a new unit, there are still other options.

You can install a programmable thermostat or you can raise and lower the temperature throughout the day to save money, especially when you’re away from home.

“When away from home, it’s recommended that you reduce your temperature to about 60 degrees, and when you’re at home, the ideal temperature to save money and still keep the home warm is about 68,” Kim Penz, director of marketing for Scana Energy, said.

Penz said inspecting and cleaning your heating and cooling units every year and changing out your air filters regularly can save as much as 15% on your energy costs.

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She also said placing draft guards at the bottom of doors that lead outside and sealing your windows helps keep the heat in.

“Every crack in a window can be the equivalent to a small hole in the wall,” Penz said.

TJ Hargrove told Channel 2 Action News his mom always told him to “get a couple extra blankets, and you know my mom, she’s like ‘put a jacket on.’”

He said those were some strategies to avoid changing the temperature during the winter, helping keep energy bills down.

“The next most important thing is make sure the flue is open and that you open it for a little while before you start the natural gas flame,” Penz said, for if you have a chimney at home.

There are many options to save money while staying warm this winter, remember to set your temperature lower when you’re not at home.

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