Nov 05, 2025 / Home Equity
Every fall, we pull out the sweaters, swap the cold brews for warm lattes, and refresh our homes with plaid pillows, blankets, and pumpkin spice candles to maximize the cozy vibes. But the most valuable fall refresh goes beyond aesthetics to get your house ready for dropping temps.
True winter comfort starts with energy efficiency, and your Utah First HELOC can fund smart HVAC upgrades that seal out drafts, tame your heating bills, and set you up for a stress-free winter! Here’s how your HELOC can help you prep your home before the chill sets in.
Is your HVAC begging for your attention with strange noises, uneven temps, or bills that creep higher and higher? Efficiency isn’t forever, and sometimes, an upgrade is all it takes to get your home back to peak coziness.
According to Energy Star, your HVAC system might be on the way out if:
Sound familiar? If so, you might be needlessly spending extra on utility bills each month. Let’s fix that. Your HELOC is ready to roll!
Heating and cooling swallow up nearly half of an American home’s energy bill — more than $900 a year. If your system’s older than you’d like to admit, that number might be even higher. Instead of draining savings, tap into your home’s equity for a flexible, affordable way to fund the upgrade now! Using your HELOC for a high-efficiency replacement can cut your energy costs by up to 20% and keep your house consistently toasty.
That way, you won’t have to panic about the furnace quitting mid-December when you’re already tapped out on holiday shopping. You’ve already funded the upgrade, so your holidays stay merry, bright, and warm. That’s a win for your comfort and your wallet!
Ever settled in to watch a spooky movie on a chilly fall evening and suddenly felt an icy breeze across your ankles? Nothing kills the cozy season vibes faster than feeling the cold sneak in where it doesn’t belong. Weak insulation and drafts don’t just ruin the moment — they also drive up your energy bills by making your heating system work harder to keep up.
This is where your Utah First HELOC comes in clutch. You can use it to seal leaky ducts, pad insulation, and weatherproof those trouble spots so every room is always the same level of comfy. These types of upgrades have the potential to save you anywhere from 5% to 30% on your annual home energy bills!
Think of it as cozy insurance, financed by your equity.
You know that moment when you leave the house, get halfway to work, and wonder if you forgot to turn down the heat so it’s not running all day? A smart thermostat saves you from heating an empty house and the anxiety that comes with not knowing.
Energy Star says you can trim about 8% or more off your heating and cooling bills just by letting the thermostat do the thinking for you. And with your Utah First HELOC, you can bundle a smart thermostat right into your home upgrades and make efficiency the easiest part of your routine. One tap on your phone, and your house is cozy when you walk in the door.
Windows and doors aren’t the flashiest upgrades, but they’re some of the smartest. The heat you lose through single-pane windows and patio doors accounts for nearly 30% of your energy use! Switching to energy-efficient windows and doors can save you between $71 and $501 per year — not to mention fewer drafts, quieter rooms, and better heat retention.
Your Utah First HELOC takes the sting out of the upfront expense by letting you finance multiple replacements at once. That way, you’re not patching one window this year and another next year — you’re locking in comfort and savings across the whole house now.
Energy-efficient upgrades free up real money. With your HVAC running smoothly, drafts sealed tightly, a smart thermostat trimming waste, and windows keeping heat in, you could save anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars a year!
So what do you do with those savings? We’re glad you asked!
With your Utah First HELOC funding the upgrades upfront, the savings become a steady bonus you can funnel into what matters most.
A warm home shouldn’t come with a cold sweat over energy bills. Your HELOC helps you cover the not-so-fun upgrades now so you can enjoy every latte, blanket, and snow day without surprise breakdowns or sky-high utilities. So don’t wait — get to it!
Got equity in your home but don’t have a HELOC yet? We can help with that, too! Get in touch today, and let’s see how we can put your next big move into motion.
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