CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) -- Valerie Epstein spent part of her Thursday afternoon walking around Coolidge Park in Chattanooga. And why not, it's early February with temperatures in the mid-60s.
"I love this weather. I can take this all February," says Epstein.
Her heating bill has been around one hundred dollars lower each month compared to a normal winter, thanks to above normal temperatures most of the season.
"With the weather as beautiful as it is today you can just open your windows and almost turn off your entire system," says Epstein. That's one way to save money.
Lenny Delius, a local heating and air expert, says it's the perfect time to invest those extra dollars preparing your home for the heat of summer.
"Windows and doors, you want to make sure everything's sealed up and weather stripped tight," suggests Delius.
He says new or additional insulation for a 1500 square foot home would run less than a thousand dollars and will save you big time in the long run.
"The drastic savings they save off the attic insulation will easily pay for itself in two to three years," explains Delius.
Delius also urges everyone to have their cooling units cleaned and checked for leaks since he says the cost of coolant is expected to rise.
According to Greg Epperson of EPB, heating and cooling add up to 60 percent of annual power bills in the Tennessee Valley--a good reason to make sure your lower heating bill so far this winter doesn't send your money out the window down the pike.
"The sooner you start saving BTUs, saving energy, the quicker it's going to save you dollars and put them back in your pocket," says Epperson.
Epstein already has a plan. "We might get more efficient coatings on our windows," says Epstein. "We have storm windows that are kind of older. We could probably change those out."
In addiction, some power companies offer free home audits and offer suggestions on making your home more energy efficient. Some tax credits may also be available for making those improvements. Finally, if you want to go "hi-tech", Delius says apps are available for iPhone and iPad which allow you to control your thermostat remotely depending on the brand.
