Ask the Docs: 8 Tips to Lower Your Energy Bill
Practical advice from 38 years of HVAC experience in Georgia.
Energy prices are on the rise. Industry experts say current energy shortages could get much worse before they get better. Here are eight tips that may save you 20% or more on your monthly heating bill. These aren't complicated fixes — most are things you can do yourself or have done in a single service visit.
Install a Programmable Setback Thermostat
Money magazine rated the programmable setback thermostat as the number one way to save money on your energy bills. And for good reason — it can save you up to 20% on your heating and cooling costs without you lifting a finger after the initial setup.
Here's how it works: a programmable thermostat automatically adjusts the temperature in your home based on your schedule. When you're at work or asleep, it sets the temperature back a few degrees. When you're home and awake, it brings everything back to your comfort level. You set it once and forget about it.
Today's smart thermostats like the Nest, Ecobee, and Honeywell Home go even further. They learn your habits, adjust automatically, and let you control your home's temperature from your phone. Some even show you monthly energy reports so you can track your savings.
For Georgia homeowners, we recommend setting your thermostat to 78 degrees when you're home in summer and 85 when you're away. In winter, 68 when you're home and 60 when you're sleeping or away. Those simple setbacks add up to real savings over a year.
We install and set up programmable and smart thermostats as part of our preventive maintenance service. It's one of the fastest-payback upgrades you can make.
Set Your Thermostat Back 3 Degrees
This is the simplest tip on the list, and it's completely free. Just set your thermostat back 3 degrees from where you normally keep it. That small change can reduce your annual heating bill by approximately 5%.
Most people can't even feel a 3-degree difference. If you normally keep your home at 72 degrees in winter, try 69. In summer, if you run at 74, bump it up to 77. Your body adjusts within a day or two, and your wallet adjusts immediately.
The math works like this: for every degree you set back your thermostat for an 8-hour period, you save roughly 1% on your energy bill. Set it back 3 degrees for 8 hours a day (while you're sleeping, for example) and that's a solid 3% savings. Do it while you're at work too, and you're looking at 5% or more.
In Georgia, we recommend 68 degrees in winter and 78 degrees in summer as the sweet spot between comfort and efficiency. Those numbers come from the Department of Energy, and they line up with what we've seen work for our customers across Gwinnett and Barrow counties over the past 38 years.
Every degree matters. Start with 3 and see how it feels.
Seal Leaky Ductwork
This one is a big deal. A study conducted by the Arkansas Energy Office found that sealing leaky ductwork in 18 houses averaged 21.8% in energy savings. That's not a typo — nearly 22% savings just from sealing up the ducts.
Most homes have ductwork running through the attic, crawl space, or between floors. Over time, joints loosen, tape fails, and gaps form. Conditioned air that you're paying to heat or cool leaks out into spaces where nobody benefits from it. Meanwhile, your system runs longer and harder trying to keep up.
The fix is mastic sealant — a thick, paste-like adhesive that you apply to duct joints and seams. It dries hard and creates a permanent seal. Despite its name, regular duct tape is actually a poor choice for sealing ducts. It dries out and peels off within a few years. Mastic lasts the life of the duct.
Georgia homes lose even more than average because so much ductwork runs through attics. In summer, your attic can hit 140 to 150 degrees. Any leak in that ductwork means scorching hot attic air mixing with your cooled air, and your cooled air escaping into the attic. It's like running your AC with a window open.
Duct sealing is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to your HVAC system. We can inspect your ductwork and seal problem areas during a service visit.
Insulate Ductwork in Your Attic, Garage, or Crawl Space
You can lose up to 20% of the air you're paying to heat or cool through uninsulated ducts. If your ductwork runs through an unconditioned space — like an attic, garage, or crawl space — that air is picking up or losing heat before it ever reaches your living space.
Think about what happens in a Georgia summer. Your AC cools air to about 55 degrees and pushes it through the ducts. If those ducts run through an attic that's 150 degrees, the air warms up significantly before it reaches your vents. Your system has to run longer to compensate, and your energy bill goes up.
The same thing happens in reverse during winter. Your furnace heats air and sends it through ducts in a cold crawl space or unheated garage. The air cools down before it reaches your rooms.
Insulating your ductwork with R-6 or R-8 duct insulation solves this problem. For joints and connections, use mastic sealant rather than duct tape — mastic creates a permanent seal while duct tape deteriorates and peels off over time. Properly insulated and sealed ductwork keeps the air at the temperature your system intended.
We can assess your ductwork insulation during a preventive maintenance visit and recommend the right solution for your home.
Seal Air Leaks Around Windows and Doors
More than 30% of your heating and cooling costs can come from air leaks around windows, doors, electrical outlets, plumbing penetrations, and other openings in your home's envelope. That conditioned air you're paying for is literally leaking out of your house.
The good news is that sealing these leaks is one of the most affordable home improvements you can make. A trip to the hardware store for weather stripping, caulk, spray foam, and plastic sheeting will cost you less than $50 and can make a noticeable difference on your next energy bill.
Start with the obvious spots: check the seals around your exterior doors and windows. If you can see daylight around the edges, or feel a draft when it's windy, those need attention. Weather stripping is cheap and easy to install. For gaps around pipes, wires, and other penetrations through walls, use expanding spray foam.
In Georgia, sealing air leaks is especially important because you're not just losing conditioned air — you're also letting humidity in. Georgia's humidity is brutal, and when moist outdoor air seeps into your home, your AC has to work overtime to remove that moisture. Sealing leaks reduces both your cooling load and your dehumidification load.
Windows are often the biggest culprit. If your windows are single-pane or the seals have failed, even a $5 roll of plastic sheeting applied in winter can cut heat loss through those windows dramatically.
Have Your Ducts Cleaned
Here's a number that might surprise you: just 0.042 inches of dirt buildup on a heating or cooling coil can result in a 20% decrease in system performance. That's less than the thickness of a credit card's worth of grime, and it's costing you a fifth of your system's efficiency.
Dirt, dust, pet dander, and debris accumulate in your ductwork over time. As that buildup increases, airflow decreases. Your system has to work harder and run longer to push air through dirty ducts. The blower motor uses more electricity, the system cycles more frequently, and components wear out faster.
Beyond efficiency, dirty ducts affect your indoor air quality. Every time your system runs, it circulates air through those ducts and blows whatever is in them into your living space. That includes dust, mold spores, pollen, and allergens.
This is especially important in Georgia. Our pollen seasons are legendary — pollen counts regularly hit the thousands in spring. Add in pet dander, the humidity that promotes mold growth, and the general dust that accumulates in any home, and your ducts can become a real problem over a few years.
We recommend having your ducts professionally cleaned every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if you have pets, allergies, or have done recent renovation work that created a lot of dust. It's one of those things that makes a noticeable difference in both comfort and air quality.
Install a Whole-House Humidifier
A whole-house humidifier can make your home feel about 3 degrees warmer without touching the thermostat. That means you can set your heat lower and still feel comfortable — which translates directly to energy savings.
Here's why: during winter, the air inside your home can drop to 10-15% relative humidity. To put that in perspective, the Sahara Desert averages about 25% humidity. Your home in January is literally drier than the desert. Dry air feels colder than humid air at the same temperature because moisture in the air helps retain heat against your skin.
A whole-house humidifier connects to your HVAC system and adds moisture to the air as it circulates through your home. It maintains a consistent humidity level — typically 35-45% — throughout every room. Unlike portable humidifiers that only treat one room and need constant refilling, a whole-house unit is connected to your water supply and works automatically.
The benefits go beyond energy savings. Proper humidity reduces static electricity (no more shocks when you touch a doorknob), protects hardwood floors and wood furniture from cracking, and eases respiratory issues like dry sinuses and scratchy throats. If anyone in your family has asthma or allergies, maintaining proper humidity can make a real difference in comfort.
We install whole-house humidifiers as part of our air purification services. It's a straightforward addition to your existing HVAC system.
Consider a New Furnace
If your furnace is more than 15-20 years old, it may be operating at 50% efficiency or less. That means half of every dollar you spend on heating is going up the flue pipe instead of warming your home. Old furnaces weren't designed to meet today's efficiency standards, and their performance degrades further with age.
Modern furnaces achieve 90% efficiency or higher — some models hit 98%. That means nearly every dollar you spend on fuel goes directly toward heating your home. Upgrading from a 50% efficient furnace to a 95% efficient model could cut your heating costs nearly in half.
The upfront cost of a new furnace is real, but the math often works out faster than people expect. If you're spending $200 a month on heating with a 50% efficient furnace, a 95% efficient replacement could drop that to around $105. That's over $1,100 in savings per year. A new furnace typically pays for itself in 5-7 years through lower energy bills alone.
Modern furnaces also run quieter, provide more consistent heat, and come with better warranty coverage. Variable-speed blowers adjust airflow to match your heating needs, eliminating the hot-then-cold cycling that older single-stage furnaces produce.
If you're not sure whether it's time to replace, here's our rule of thumb: if your furnace needs a repair that costs more than half the price of a new unit, it's usually smarter to replace. We'll always give you honest options. Check out our equipment page for information on SEER2 ratings and the brands we install.
Want Help Implementing These Tips? We Can Help.
From thermostat installation to duct sealing to full system replacements, we've been helping Georgia homeowners save energy since 1987.