Short days and cloudy weather can often trigger seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which are similar to symptoms of depression. However, there are ways to combat this unhealthy state with proactive measures you can do now, before the late winter blues take hold. Take advantage of your indoor hours with a few quick projects that will lower your energy bills and improve your family’s indoor comfort. You will beat those winter blues with an energy efficient home that costs less to heat and keeps your family warm and toasty.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

Heat your home before you get up. If you’re like many, you turn the heat down at night to sleep more soundly, but a chilly room can make it more difficult to get up in the morning. If you install a programmable thermostat, you can set it to warm your home shortly before you rise. It’ll make getting up more comfortable, along with saving on energy bills.

Use the Sunshine

Open the window coverings on sunny days. The sun streaming through the windows helps passively heat your home since the rays are warm, even though the sun is low in the sky. Exposure to sunshine also helps combat the lack of daylight that contributes to SAD. Closing them at night keeps your home warmer.

Set Productive Goals

Set up a plan to lower energy costs during the winter for combating winter blues. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that half the money you spend annually on energy goes toward heating and cooling. It’s warm enough in this climate to undertake home improvement projects like sealing air leaks around window frames, applying weatherstripping and improving insulation.

Adding insulation to the attic is an affordable project that will make a difference in your heating and cooling costs, and winter is the perfect time to access the attic when temperatures are reasonable. Over time, the existing insulation may have settled. As it does, it loses its ability to resist heat transfer. Adding more reduces heat transfer that increases energy costs year-round.

If you’d like more information about combating winter blues through HVAC improvements, contact Bass Air Conditioning Company. We’ve been proudly serving greater Fayetteville area homeowners since 1952.

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