If you live in a place where winter bring a sharp chill, you probably face high heating bills in the coldest few months.
Those heating bill can come as a shock to many people, and they can throw your budget off balance.
Fortunately, there are several effective tips for lowering your heating bill that you can use right now.
Live in a Cooler Home
The easiest way to lower your heating bill is to lower your thermostat – and you can lower your thermostat and still stay comfortable.
Many people don’t want to lower their thermostat because they want to stay comfortable. And that’s completely understandable because that’s what heating is for – to keep our home comfortable. No one wants to be shivering in their own home.
However, you can stay cozy just by wear a few extra layers. That doesn’t mean you need to bundle up in your winter coat and mittens in your home. Thin layers, including a silk under layer, can
Also, when you lower your thermostat and live at a slightly cooler temperature than you’re used to, your body does adjust. You become comfortable.
Think about a person from a cold climate, like Alaska, visiting a warmer climate like Florida. They will feel very warm and relaxed on the warmer climate’s coldest days. While Florida residents might bundle up when the temperature drops, you could still find the Alaskan basking in their bathing suit. This is because they have adapted to different temperatures – and you can, too.
One strange, but effective, way to be comfortable with your thermostat set lower is to take cold showers. Cold showers have tremendous health benefits. They can also help you quickly enjoy cooler temperatures.
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Draft-Proof Your Home
Repairing gaps in your home to the outside can help you quickly lower your heating bill.
Especially around windows and doors, if you have a draft you could be losing a lot of warmer air to the outside and bringing in more cold air for you to heat.
Use weather proofing strips or other sealants to help reduce the waste from these leaks. Having double-paned windows goes a long way in reducing lost heat in your home, and is a common solution for people looking for how to save money on heating bills.
Circulate Your Air
You can save money on heating bills when you make sure your warm air is circulating well throughout your home.
Warm air rises. A well circulated home helps draw some of the warmer air near the ceiling back to your living space level. That will help reduce the amount of time your thermostat needs to be on, and save you money.
Improve Your Insulation
Insulating your home well is an excellent way to save money on heating bills. These changes can cost a bit up front, but the payoff will more than offset those costs in the long-run.
Insulating your home well helps trap heat inside so that it doesn’t escape easily, as well as keeping cold air from coming inside.
Seal Dryer Vents and Chimney Flues
Homes can lose a substantial amount of heat through the openings that are part of your home’s natural design.
Chimney flues funnel smoke from fires to the outside, which is great for enjoying indoor flames. But when you don’t have a fire going, make sure you have your chimney flue securely closed. Otherwise, you’re losing your warm air to the outside and your heating bill will be higher.
Similarly, dryer vents also funnel hot air to the outside. If you’re not using your dryer, you want to make sure the vent is closed. Dryer vents are designed to close when they’re not in use, but to make sure your not paying more than you need in heating bills, check that your dryer vent is closing properly.
Take Advantage of Programmable Thermostats
Using programmable thermostats to match your schedule is one of the best ways to save money on heating bills. How you program your thermostat to save money is a matter of how often you’re not home.
Set your thermostat so that it uses less heat when you’re away for an extended period of more than a couple hours.
You can also lower your heating bill by programming your thermostat to a lower temperature at night, when you’re sleeping under a warm pile of blankets.
Use Humidifiers
Using a humidifier in your home can help you save money on heating bills because moist air retains heat better.
You can use a humidifier in your room or throughout the house as a way to keep you cozy. Humidifiers have an added benefit of keeping your skin softer in the winter as well because heat tends to dry the air and your skin.
