How to Save Energy in the Fall

Home Blog How to Save Energy in the Fall

Posted On: November 15, 2022 by Peoples Bank of Kankakee County in: Family Home Seasonal

The warm days are slowly fading away. After a hot summer, it’s exciting to welcome fall and winter weather. As cold weather arrives, here are some tips to incorporate at home to save energy and money.

Use Natural Light to Your Advantage

Use the sun’s energy and warmth to your advantage. During the day, you can open the blinds for natural lighting and heat. South-facing windows will help warm your home without any cost.

Seal Up Cracks, Leaks, and Drafts

This is a year-round energy saving tip. After the hot summer, check for new cracks, leaks, or drafts. Also check doors and windows for any gaps letting heat out or cold air in. Catching the drafts early before the thick of winter will save significantly. Another commonly missed area to check is the cut-throughs for pipe access and recess lighting, as well as the entry to unfinished spaces. These gaps affect the home’s insulation efficiency.

Don’t Forget to Reprogram Your Thermostat

Strategically programming your thermostat can reduce energy use and save on the heating bill. Before the weather gets too cold, make sure your heating system is working properly for the size of your home. Consider contacting a heating and air conditioning company to schedule a furnace maintenance tune-up.

Incorrect thermostat programming can bust your budget and energy efficiency. As cold weather moves in, it is recommended to set your heat at 68 degrees. This is to help the heat run systematically and not be overworked if it falls below 68 degrees. Programming your thermostat to a temperature you can leave for days is best to avoid using too much power. If you are going to be gone during the cooler months, turn the heat a little lower – 65 or lower – to save on energy while you are away.

Prepare the Inside of Your Home

Energy consumption can also be reduced by reversing ceiling vans, correctly sealing the fireplace, and replacing your indoor air filter. Ceiling fans can be a tool to keep you warm if properly set clockwise during the cooler months. Doing so pushes warm air down and cold air up to redistribute the air coming out of vents to all areas of your home. As for the fireplace, be sure you are not letting warm air escape. Properly seal the damper and consider adding an energy-efficient grate. Lastly, don’t forget to replace your indoor and outdoor air filters – this is important for energy efficiency as well as your health.

Incorporate these tips to reduce energy consumption and save money this fall and winter!

An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money in your account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway. We can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:

We have standard overdraft practices that are available after your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing.
We also offer an overdraft protection plan, Overdraft Protection Sweep, a link to a savings account. It may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. To learn more, ask us about this plan.

This notice explains our standard overdraft practices.

What are the standard overdraft practices that come with my account?

After your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing, we do authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions:

Checks and other transactions made using your checking account number
Automatic bill payments

We do not authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions unless you ask us to (see below):

ATM transactions
Everyday debit card transactions

We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee that we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction.

If we do not authorize and pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined.

What fees will I be charged if Peoples Bank of Kankakee County pays my overdraft?

Under our standard overdraft practices:

We will charge you a fee of up to $30 each time we pay an overdraft.
The maximum daily overdraft fee per presentment or item paid using the Overdraft Reserve Program is $150.00 per day.
No per item handling fee will be charged on de minimis overdrafts. De minimis overdraft for this policy means transactions that overdraw your account by $30 or less.
There is an overdraft fee of $5 per day that will be charged beginning the 4th consecutive business day your account is overdrawn.

Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees - if an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money in your account and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times by the merchant or other payee until it is paid, and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented.

PAYMENT ORDER OF ITEMS - The law permits us to pay items drawn on your account in any order (for purposes of this section "items" means checks, orders and electronic transactions). To assist you in handling your account with us, we are providing you with the following information regarding how we process those items. When processing checks and orders drawn on your account our policy is to pay lower numbered checks and orders in numerical sequence, but electronic transactions are paid first in the order received. The order in which items are paid is important if there is not enough money in your account to pay all of the items that are presented. There is no policy that is favorable in every instance. If the smallest items are paid first, you may have fewer NSF or overdraft fees, but the largest, and perhaps more important items (such as rent or mortgage payments) might not be paid. However, if the largest items are paid first, your most important items might be paid but it may increase the overdraft or NSF fees if funds are not available to pay all of the items. We think our policy attains a reasonable balance between minimizing additional costs to you and paying your more important items. We encourage you to make careful records and practice good account management. This will help you to avoid creating items without sufficient funds and incurring the resulting fees.

What if I want Peoples Bank of Kankakee County to authorize and pay overdrafts on my ATM and everyday debit card transactions?

If you also want us to authorize and pay overdrafts on ATM and everyday debit card transactions after your account has been open for 30 days, you may opt in.

You have an ongoing right to change this consent at any time. If your overdraft privilege has been revoked for any reason, the opt-in or opt-out selection may not apply. Please contact your nearest office for more information.

Alternate ways to Opt In/Out or make changes:

By Phone. Our Customer Care Representatives can be reached at 815-936-7600.
By Mail. Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, 333 E. Court Street, Kankakee, IL 60901
In Person. Please visit your local office and ask a representative to help you decide which plan is best for you.