Tips for saving money while staying warm during the winter

SALT LAKE CITY — With the energy-intensive heating season and holiday lighting both upon us, Rocky Mountain Power is reminding customers to save energy – and money – during wintertime. Give yourself the gift of being Wattsmart with a few low-cost tips you can use:

• 10 x 10 rule: Set your thermostat as low as comfortable – aim for 68 degrees. Lower the temperature by another 10 degrees when you are asleep or out of the house to lower your energy usage by about 10 percent.
• Cover drafty windows with a heavy-duty clear plastic sheet on the inside of window frames during winter months.
• Set the water heater to 120 degrees and drain it annually.
• Wash clothes in cold water and wash only full loads.
• Completely fill your dishwasher before running and air dry dishes rather than using the dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Switch to high-efficiency LED light bulbs in fixtures that are used at least three hours a day. These bulbs use a fraction of the energy of traditional bulbs.
• Set the refrigerator temperature between 37 and 40 degrees and set the freezer at 0 degrees.
• Improve your home’s heating and cooling systems by cleaning or replacing furnace filters and scheduling routine system maintenance to help air flow through the system more efficiently.

Find energy-saving tips and more at rockymountainpower.net/winterheating.