Warm up your home with these cool energy efficiency tips

Now that cold weather is setting in, many City of Columbia Utilities customers are looking for ways to reduce household energy costs and lower their winter heating bills.

Setting your thermostat properly is the most effective way to manage heating costs. Heating has the biggest impact on winter utility bills for homeowners and small businesses. How much energy is needed to keep your space comfortable depends on multiple factors, including weather, building type and age, heating source and how you use your thermostat.

Keeping the thermostat a little bit lower when you are home (at 68 instead of 70 degrees, for instance) can lower your costs as much as 3-5% per month. City of Columbia Utilities offers up to a $50 rebate when replacing your current thermostat with a new Energy Star-certified smart thermostat.

• Prevent drafts by ensuring weatherstripping and door sweeps on exterior doors have a complete seal and by closing and locking all windows.
• For windows that receive direct sunlight, keep the shades open during the day to help warm your house naturally.
• If you have a fireplace, make sure you close the damper when not in use.
• Maintain appliances to improve their efficiency. Replace the filter in your furnace.
• Clean the coils on your refrigerator. Clear the dryer vent.
• Verify that your attic is properly insulated with up to 17 inches of insulation. Doing so will improve comfort and reduce heating costs. City of Columbia Utilities offers rebates and loans that can help.

City of Columbia Utilities offers free energy assessments to residential and commercial customers. The program ensures that customers will receive a personalized review. That way, they can make informed decisions that can help lower costs. Visit opens in a new windowColumbiaPowerPartners.com for more information.

For qualifying customers, opens in a new windowCentral Missouri Community Action may be able to weatherize your house at no charge.

CMCA's program could save you, on average, about $400 in heating and cooling costs per year. Visit opens in a new windowCMCA.us for more information.

Customers struggling to pay utility bills should contact Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services at 573.817.6430opens phone dialer, [email protected]create new email or CoMo.gov/health/human-services.