Use the natural warmth of the sun to help heat your home during the winter. Open the shades on south facing windows during the day to let the sun in and close them at night to keep the warmth inside.

Savings: up to 200 kWh* per winter bill, about $125 each winter.

Cost: FREE

*For the average Snohomish County single-family home with electric heat.

It’s less expensive and more efficient than turning up the heat. It won't cost you anything and will help save on heating costs.

If you have baseboard or wall heaters, turn down the thermostats in unused rooms and close the doors.

Set the heat at 68 degrees instead of 70 when you’re awake to save on your heating costs. For each degree you turn down your heat, you’ll save 2-3% on your heating bill. If you currently keep your home quite warm, turn down the thermostat by just 2 degrees at first, then decrease it again when you’re used to the change

Savings: up to 70 kWh* per winter bill, about $44 each winter

Cost: FREE

* For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Set the heat at 55 when you’re sleeping or away from home and you could save as much as 10% on your heating costs. For If you currently keep your home quite warm at night, turn down the thermostat by just 2 or 3 degrees at first, then decrease it again when you’re used to the change.

Savings: up to 118 kWh* per winter bill, about $73 each winter

Cost: FREE

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat, with the heat set at 55 degrees for 12 hours per day.

If you have furniture or curtains in front of your wall/baseboard heaters or register vents, you could be blocking the heat they're trying to deliver. Each fall, check to be sure the heater or vent is not blocked and vacuum the heater coils or clean the registers.

Savings: up to 53 kWh* per winter bill, about $33 each winter

Cost: FREE

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

If you have existing baseboard or wall heaters, turn down the thermostats in unused rooms and close the door. Since baseboard/wall heaters supply heat to each room individually, they are ideally suited to zone heating or heating the occupied rooms in your home while allowing unoccupied sections (such as empty guest rooms or seldom-used rooms) to remain cooler. Zone heating can produce energy savings of more than 20% compared to heating both occupied and unoccupied areas of your house.

Savings: up to 138 kWh* per winter bill, about $86 each winter

Cost: FREE

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Check the air filters of your electric furnace every month. By replacing dirty filters, you'll improve your air quality as well as save energy. Buying multi-packs of filters is a good way to be sure that you have one on hand when you need it.

Savings: up to 105 kWh* per winter bill, about $66 each winter

Cost: $5-$20 per filter (depending on type)

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Installing an electronic thermostat(s) makes it easier to be sure that your home is heated efficiently. The thermostat can automatically change the temperature based on the schedule and settings that you create. Newer "smart" thermostats set the temperature automatically based on your behaviors; they usually can be programmed by a smartphone app.

Savings: up to 118 kWh* per winter bill, about $73 each winter

Cost: $20-$250 (depending on the type of thermostat)

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

You can lose 2% of your home’s heat through uninsulated outlets and light switches on exterior walls. Insulate them with foam gaskets, available at most home improvement and hardware stores, and you’ll reduce drafts and save energy.

Savings: up to 23 kWh* per winter bill, about $14 each winter

Cost: $1 per outlet/switch

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Adding or repairing the weather-stripping on your windows and doors can significantly reduce heat loss and drafts. This is an excellent do-it-yourself project using supplies from a local hardware store.

Savings: up to 210 kWh* per winter bill, about $131 each winter

Cost: $1 per window / $10 per door

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. Up to 330 kWh for apartments/condos.

If you have single pane, or older inefficient double pane, windows you can reduce heat loss with storm windows or plastic. You can also use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.

Savings: up to 210 kWh* per winter bill, about $131 each winter

Cost: varies

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Poorly sealed and uninsulated ducts in unconditioned space can lose 15-30% of your heated or cooled air before it even gets to the register. Sealing your ductwork prevents conditioned air (warmed or cooled) from escaping. Sealing your ducts to prevent leaks is even more important if the ducts are located in an unconditioned area such as an attic or vented crawl space.

Although minor duct repairs are easy to make, ducts in unconditioned spaces should be sealed and insulated by qualified professionals using appropriate sealing materials.

The PUD offers instant rebates to qualifying customers to help pay for the improvements. Get the details.

Savings: up to 250 kWh* per winter bill, about $156 each winter

Cost: varies ($$)

*Based on regional average savings numbers for single-family homes of 1,500 kWh per year.

Have a professional clean and inspect your heating system every other fall to ensure that it is tuned and ready for the heating season. You’ll save energy and extend the life of your heating system.

Savings: up to 100 kWh* per winter bill, about $62 each winter

Cost: approximately $150

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat.

Have a professional clean and inspect your electric furnace every five years to ensure that it is tuned and ready for the heating season. You’ll save energy and extend the life of your furnace.

Savings: up to 210 kWh* per winter bill, about $131 each winter

Cost: approximately $150

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Installing and using an ENERGY STAR ceiling fan to circulate the air can lower both your heating and cooling costs. Be sure to run the fan on reverse during the winter to push warm air down off the ceiling.

Savings: up to 12 kWh* per bill, about $15 each year

Cost: varies

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Using a portable space heater can save you money if you use it in place of your furnace to heat small areas. For example, using it to heat your home office while you pay bills instead of turning on the furnace to heat the whole house may save you energy. Be sure to turn off the heater when you’re not using it to prevent fires.

Savings: varies

Cost: varies

Replacing your single-pane or older, inefficient double-pane windows will not only increase the value of your home, it will also reduce your home heating costs. Choose the most efficient windows (windows with a U-value of 0.35 or less) that fall within your budget and design needs.

The PUD offers instant rebates to qualifying customers who invest in new efficient windows and sliding glass doors. Get the details.

Incentives are also available for upgrades to multi-family buildings. Get the details.

Savings: up to 330 kWh* per winter bill for when replacing single-pane windows (about $206 per winter); up to 230 kWh* per bill for when replacing existing double-pane windows with metal frames (about $144 per winter).

Cost: varies $$$

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

Properly insulating your home will not only help reduce your heating and cooling costs but also make your home more comfortable. Unless your home was specially constructed for energy efficiency, you can usually reduce your energy bills as much as 10% by adding more insulation.

The PUD offers instant rebates to qualifying customers with electric heat. Get the details.

Savings: 345 kWh per winter bill, or about $216 each winter

Cost: varies

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat. 

If you heat with a forced air electric furnace or zonal systems, a heat pump can trim the amount of electricity you use for heating by as much as 50-60%. If your electric furnace, or current heat pump, needs to be replaced, look for a high-efficiency geothermal or air source system. If your home does not have an existing duct system, consider upgrading to a ductless heat pump system.

The PUD offers instant rebates to qualifying customers who replace an electric furnace or baseboard/wall heaters with an efficient heat pump. Get the details.

Savings: up to 575 kWh* per winter bill if replacing an electric furnace (about $359 each winter); up to 168 kWh* winter per bill if replacing an older inefficient air source heat pump (about $105 each winter).

Cost: $$$

*For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat.

Geothermal heat pumps are even more efficient than air source heat pumps. If your electric furnace, or current heat pump, needs to be replaced consider installing a geothermal heat pump system.

The PUD offers incentives to qualifying customers. Get the details.

Savings: an average of 832 kWh* per winter bill if replacing an electric furnace (about $520 each winter); an average of 667 kWh* per winter bill if replacing an older inefficient air source heat pump (about $416 each winter).

Cost: $$$$

* For the average Snohomish County single family home with electric heat.