How to Save on Energy in the Winter, From the Thermostat to the Contract

Winter bills ambush Texans. We plan for brutal summers, then a January cold front rolls through and the gas bill triples while the electric bill quietly climbs behind it.

Whether you heat with natural gas or electricity, winter savings come from the same two places: burning less energy, and paying less for every unit you burn. Here is how to work both levers, at home and at your business.

Why is my gas bill so high in the winter?

Heating dominates. A typical home burns most of its annual heating fuel in a handful of cold months, so even a short cold snap shows up fast on a gas bill.

Your water heater joins in. Incoming water is colder in winter, so the tank burns more fuel to reach the same temperature. And wholesale natural gas prices tend to rise with winter demand, which means you can use the same amount as last year and still pay more for it.

What is the best thermostat setting for winter?

The Department of Energy's common guidance is 68 degrees while you are awake and at home, with lower settings while you sleep or while the house sits empty. Each degree warmer costs more across the whole season.

Setbacks are where the money is. The Department of Energy puts the savings from turning the thermostat down 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day at roughly 10 percent a year, so a programmed schedule beats willpower every time.

One caveat for heat pump owners: aggressive setbacks can trigger the electric backup strips, which are far more expensive to run. Keep setbacks modest, or use a smart thermostat that knows how to manage a heat pump.

Also flip your ceiling fans. Running them clockwise on low pushes warm air off the ceiling and back down to the people who paid for it.

How can I lower my heating bill without being cold?

Attack the leaks before you touch the thermostat:

• Get the furnace serviced and swap filters regularly. A dirty filter makes the blower run longer for the same warmth.
• Seal the envelope. Weatherstrip exterior doors, caulk gaps around windows and pipes, and check attic insulation. In an older home, the attic is usually the biggest single win.
• Use free solar heat. Open blinds on sun-facing windows during the day, then close them at dusk to hold the warmth in.
• Trim water heating. Set the tank to 120 degrees, insulate the first few feet of hot water pipe, and wash laundry cold. Water heating is one of the largest energy uses in most homes, and it never takes a season off.
• Be careful with space heaters. Electric resistance heat is one of the most expensive ways to make warmth. It only saves money when it heats one small occupied room while the rest of the house sits several degrees cooler.

Want to know if your current rate is inflating all of this? Enter your ZIP at avenenergy.com and tap See My Savings. The check is free, and it stays free. Suppliers pay our fee, not our customers.

When should I lock in my energy rate for winter?

Before winter arrives. This is the lever most savings guides skip, and it is the biggest one: the contract itself.

Every tip above trims usage. Your rate multiplies whatever is left. Fall is the smart season to shop, because you are choosing calmly from competitive offers instead of renewing in the middle of a cold snap, and most plans let you lock a rate now with a future start date.

Contract type matters most in winter. During the February 2021 storm, some Texans on plans indexed to wholesale prices received extraordinary bills in a single week. A fixed-rate contract cannot promise a low bill, but it fixes the price of every kilowatt hour no matter what the weather does.

Who can act on this? Most of deregulated Texas, including Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth, can switch electricity providers at any time. Austin and San Antonio cannot, because Austin Energy and CPS Energy are municipally owned utilities, though every usage tip here still works there. Beyond Texas, shoppers in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland can switch electricity too, and several states let households choose a natural gas supplier as well. Texas homes buy gas from a regulated utility, so residential gas savings here come from usage, while many businesses can shop their gas supply directly.

Finally, check your end date. Contracts that quietly expire in December often roll onto month-to-month holdover rates, which is the worst possible pricing to carry through a cold January.

How can businesses cut winter energy costs?

For gas-heavy operations, think restaurants, hotels, laundries, and manufacturers, winter is the whole game. The time to lock winter gas supply is months earlier, in the shoulder seasons, when you can compare fixed and index offers without a forecast breathing down your neck.

On the electric side, watch winter mornings. Cold snaps create sharp morning peaks, and demand-billed accounts pay for their highest short-interval draw. Warm the building gradually before opening instead of hitting every system at once, and set temperatures back overnight in unoccupied spaces.

Then fix the procurement calendar. Commercial contracts can be shopped and signed 6 to 12 months before they end, so the renewal never lands during a price spike. Aven Energy handles this for both electricity and natural gas in one process, putting your usage in front of 90 or more competing suppliers. The service costs your business nothing, because suppliers pay the brokerage fee. Aven Energy LLC is registered with the Public Utility Commission of Texas as broker #BR260133.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to keep the house at one temperature all winter?

No, that is a persistent myth. For most systems, the fuel saved while the house sits cooler outweighs the fuel used to warm it back up. Heat pumps are the exception, where gentle setbacks beat deep ones.

Will switching providers interrupt my heat?

No. The same utility delivers your electricity and gas regardless of who supplies it, so nothing at your home changes on switch day and there is no outage.

Why is my electric bill high in winter if I heat with gas?

Your furnace blower runs on electricity, days are darker so lights run longer, and hot water demand rises. Homes with heat pumps or electric furnaces feel the effect far more sharply.

Can I shop my natural gas rate in Texas?

Homes generally cannot, since residential gas comes from a regulated utility. Many Texas businesses can shop their gas supply, and in several other states households can choose a gas supplier too.

Do not carry last year's rate into this winter unexamined. Enter your ZIP at avenenergy.com, hit See My Savings, and find out in about a minute what the market would charge for the exact energy you already use.