MEMPHIS, TN --(Marketwired - October 12, 2016) - Before frigid temperatures hit this fall and winter season, American Home Shield , the nation's largest home warranty company, is encouraging homeowners to prepare their homes to help save money on energy bills.
Home systems and appliances work harder and use more energy without proper maintenance, so American Home Shield recommends homeowners use Energy Awareness Month to understand home energy use prior to switching on their heating systems. To create an energy-saving guide for Energy Awareness Month, American Home Shield, a business unit of ServiceMaster (
Step 1: Deep Dive into Energy Bills Take a closer look at electric and gas bills from last year and break down the average costs per season to see which months use the most energy. Many utility companies offer free energy audits to help identify ways to improve your home's energy efficiency and bill comparisons to help you see how your usage compares to others in your area. You can even learn how to read your meters and see in real-time the impact that your furnace, dryer or other appliance has on your usage.
Step 2: Don't Forget Your Furnace Before firing up your furnace, special attention should be given to its coils and filters in order to improve performance and energy efficiency.
"We recommend that everyone have their furnace professionally cleaned and inspected before the season begins. Not only will this alert you to any potential safety or maintenance concerns, but you'll find out about them before you're left out in the cold," said Dave Quandt, vice president of field service at American Home Shield. "It's also important to change your furnace filter once a month. This improves air quality throughout your home, and helps your overall system work more efficiently."
Step 3: Get With the Program Save up to $180 each year on your heating bill by programming your smart thermostat and using all of its features. Many smart thermostats can be paired with smartphone apps, enabling you to set temperatures, schedules and see both indoor and outdoor humidity from your phone. For an additional 5 to 15 percent savings on your heating bill, turn down the thermostat 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours.*
Step 4: Consider an Upgrade Still hanging onto that old refrigerator or washing machine? Today's models are more energy efficient than ever, which means more savings in your pocketbook each month. Not sure you're ready to take the plunge? Think about a home warranty, which can protect your budget against repairs to these and other covered items.
For more information and helpful energy-saving tips from American Home Shield, visit the Home Matters blog or check out its YouTube Channel for Energy Efficiency videos. *Source: EnergyStar.gov
About American Home Shield American Home Shield founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains the industry leader. American Home Shield, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, services 1.6 million customers in all 50 states. The companies operate four customer service centers, employ approximately 1,800 employees and have a national contractor network made up of over 11,000 independent home service contractors and more than 45,000 service technicians. American Home Shield is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (
About ServiceMaster ServiceMaster (
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Contact: James Robinson james.robinson@servicemaster.com 901.597.7521 Molly Odre modre@conecomm.com 617.939.8321
