Post Author's Photographer By Paul Cutting September 10, 2026

As autumn brings crisp air and cooler evenings, now is an ideal time to prep your home for the upcoming heating season. A few simple steps taken early in the season can improve comfort, reduce winter heating bills, and keep your home’s mechanical systems operating reliably. Making a few adjustments today will help ensure your living space stays cozy without breaking the bank.

Review Thermostat Settings

One of the most effective ways to manage fall and winter energy use is by reviewing your thermostat’s settings. As we transition from cooling to heating, make sure your thermostat matches your daily routine. Lowering your thermostat up to 10° for an extended period while you’re asleep or at work, can save you up to 10% on heating costs. 

Toggle Fan Settings

As we talked about in this article from a few months back, switching your thermostat fan setting from “Auto” to “On” during the heating season helps distribute warm air evenly, reducing temperature stratification from floors to ceilings, and helps to reduce indoor air pollution.

Freshen up your furnace filter

Next, give your heating system a quick check before the colder weather sets in. Inspecting and replacing furnace filters maintains proper airflow and equipment efficiency. A dirty filter forces the system to work harder, reduces equipment life, and consumes unnecessary energy. Pay attention to the thickness of your furnace filter when thinking about how often it should be replaced. Standard one inch fiberglass or pleated filters need to be replaced monthly during peak heating months, whereas thicker 4-5” media filters can last an entire heating season before needing a swap. 

Air sealing is best done now

Air sealing and appliance maintenance offer additional quick wins, too. Check for drafts around exterior doors and windows. Catching these while the weather is still warm ensures you can implement solutions. Foam gaskets, rolled foam weatherstripping and adhesives don’t easily stick to freezing surfaces, so tackling those window wrap or door sweep projects now while the weather is warm makes a lot of sense.

Adjust your water heater

For the water heater, aim for a target temperature of 120 degrees. Since most water heaters have non-numeric dials, like high, medium, low or very hot, hot or warm, or A, B or C, simply turn the dial down one notch from its current setting. If the hot water coming out of your faucets needs to be blended with cold water in order to not get scalded, your water heater is set too high.

Schedule an energy audit to find savings

While these steps offer a solid starting point for heading into the colder months, scheduling a home energy audit or energy coaching session takes your efforts to the next level. We at the Winneshiek Energy District can conduct diagnostic testing, including a blower door leakage test and thermal imaging, to help pinpoint air sealing opportunities unique to your home. Home energy audits are free to most Northeast Iowa homeowners (income dependent, see website) and energy coaching is free to all Winneshiek County residents.

A man with short brown hair, a beard, and glasses is smiling. He is wearing a bright yellow T-shirt with a small logo on the chest and standing in front of a plain gray background.

Paul Cutting

Winneshiek Energy District Energy Planner Paul joins Winneshiek Energy District with a background in teaching and carpentry. For the last seven years Paul was a high school industrial tech teacher in Lanesboro, MN. There he taught carpentry, cabinetmaking, electricity, engineering design, graphic design, CAD, entrepreneurship, and more generally, enjoyed helping youngsters grow into capable and confident young adults. Prior to teaching, Paul spent several years as a carpenter disassembling and reconstructing 19th century Norwegian-built log buildings for clients. He also worked several seasons for HistoriCorps, a non-profit that pairs volunteers with hands-on historic preservation projects throughout the mountain west. In his free time Paul enjoys making furniture, trail running with his dog Bobo, scheming backpacking trips out west, camping in his homemade teardrop camper, and rehabbing his 170 year old brick house.

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