Save On Heating Costs This Winter

For those of you that live in a warm climate all year, move on! This post is for all of us that hunker down through a cold winter season and are terrified the day we see that heating bill in the mail box.

There is nothing out there that is going to reduce your bill easily, but there are a few things you can do that can add up to some significant savings.

Programmable Thermostat – I can personally attest to this one. A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature of your home based on the time and day. So for example if during the weekday no one is at home between 8 and 5, then you can set the temperature to go down to say 55 degrees at 8am and then have it go back up to 70 degrees around 4:30pm before you get home. Doing this keeps the furnace from running all day. Why heat the air when no one is there to feel it. I recommend a 7 day programmable thermostat. This allows you to set each day differently for this with changing schedules throughout the week.

Space Heaters – If you have a gas furnace, why not take the load off of the furnace by using your electricity to power a space heater in the rooms where people are sleeping. Don’t forget that electricity rates are lower in the evening and why heat the whole house when you really only need to heat the rooms where people are sleeping. There are obvious risks with space heaters, so make sure to follow the directions that come with the heater to make sure everyone stays safe.

Close off unused rooms – If there are rooms in your house that are rarely used, close the doors and shut the vents. This will allow that heated air to go to rooms that really need it. Having a small space heater in that room ready to go is perfect for when you may need to use it.

Other Miscellaneous Items – If the above options don’t work for you then at least go back to the basics.

• Keep curtains and blinds closed at night. They help provide a small barrier between the cold windows and the inside.
• Use plastic window wrap around those windows that aren’t insulated or are drafty. The wrap will help keep those drafts from coming into your home and help lower your heating bill.
• Make sure all outside door seal correctly and replace the weather stripping as needed.
• Turn down the water heater. Remeber that the water heater runs all day long. If you usually never run out of hot water during a normal work day, try turning it down a few notches. You will quickly notice the savings.
• Replace your current lightbulbs with flourescent bulbs. These things are crazy how much less energy they use. Swap them out to reduce your bill so that you have more room for heating costs!
• If you have a fireplace keep the flue closed when not in use. Even an unused fireplace sucks the hot air out of the house.

There are quite a few things that you can do to try to get that heat bill down. With rising gas and electricity prices, anything helps. And you can revel in the fact that while you are saving money you are also helping out the environment!