How to Cut Your Energy Bills Before Winter

Outage prep and lower bills share a lot of the same work. Sealing drafts keeps a room warm longer when the heat goes off, and the same work cuts what you pay every month the grid is up.

This guide uses EIA, DOE and ENERGY STAR figures. Product picks are research-based from manufacturer specs; we do not test products.

What to expect this winter

EIA's October 7, 2026 winter outlook expects homes that heat mainly with electricity (over 40% of U.S. homes) to spend about 4% more this winter (November 2026–March 2027) than last. It expects natural gas heating spending to fall about 9%, propane about 3%, and heating oil spending (about 3% of homes, mostly in the Northeast) to rise about 21%.

EIA's October 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook puts the average U.S. residential electricity price at 17.3¢/kWh in 2025 and forecasts 18.2¢ in 2026 and 18.7¢ in 2027, up from 16.5¢ in 2024.

The moves that save the most

• Thermostat setback: DOE says you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7°–10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting.
• Smart thermostats: ENERGY STAR says certified smart thermostats save on average approximately 8% of heating and cooling bills.
• Seal and insulate: ENERGY STAR says sealing and insulating can provide up to a 10% savings on annual energy bills.
• Lighting: DOE says LEDs use 75% less energy and last 25 to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Find the waste in your own bill

General tips only go so far; the biggest savings depend on your rate plan, usage pattern and fees. Our bill analyzer reads your actual utility bill and flags where the money goes. Upload a photo or PDF of your latest bill to get started.

Winter prep that also helps in an outage

• Weatherstrip doors and windows: less heat loss now, slower cool-down when power is out
• Window film on drafty windows in the room you would use as your warm room
• Know how to set your thermostat to a lower setback overnight
• Use a plug-in energy monitor to find appliances that cost the most to run
• Pick one interior room to be your outage warm room

Read your bill before you buy anything

Most utility bills split charges into a few buckets: a fixed monthly customer charge, energy or supply charges based on how many kWh (or therms) you used, delivery or distribution charges, and taxes and fees. Only the usage-based parts respond to efficiency upgrades, so it is worth knowing how big they are before spending money.

Compare the same month across years if your bill shows a usage history. A jump in usage points to equipment or habits; a jump in cost with flat usage points to rate changes, and may mean a different rate plan is worth asking your utility about.

A weekend weatherization plan

• Walk the house on a windy day and feel for drafts at doors, windows, outlets on exterior walls and attic hatches
• Weatherstrip exterior doors and add door sweeps where you see daylight underneath
• Apply window film to the leakiest windows, starting with the room you would heat in an outage
• Set a thermostat schedule with an overnight and away-from-home setback
• Swap any remaining incandescent bulbs in high-use fixtures for LEDs
• Plug the biggest suspected energy users into an energy-monitoring plug for a week

Research-based picks: low-cost upgrades

Four upgrades that target the DOE and ENERGY STAR savings levers. Specs from manufacturer pages, checked October 27, 2026.