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October 22, 2015  

15 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Heating Bill

As the cold season rolls in, we are all looking for ways to save money on our heating bill. Here are 15 super-easy ideas (some nearly effortless)  to keep the heat in and the cold out of your home!

  1. Only heat the rooms you use. Close off rooms that are rarely used, such as a storage room or guest bedroom. Turn off the heating vents in those rooms and seal them if necessary. This will direct more heat to the rooms you use the most.
  2. Cover bare floors. If you have mostly hardwood or other hard-surface floors, use area rugs and runners. Add some throw rugs to your bathrooms.This will not only help to retain heat, but will also make the floors more comfortable to walk on.
  3. Cover up drafty windows. If you want to try something that is very easy to apply and also very effective, try insulating your windows with bubble wrap. You will be surprised at what a difference it makes!
  4. Make sure vents are open and unblocked. Before winter gets into full swing, do a walk-through of your home to make sure all heating vents (in rooms that you use) are open and un-obscured by drapes or furniture.
  5. Make the most of the sun for free heat. Open the blinds and curtains on south-facing windows during the day on sunny days to bring the heat into your home. Once the sun goes down, close them to retain the heat.
  6. Keep the temperature at the lowest level that is comfortable. During the day, this will generally be 68-70 degrees F. Make sure the heat is lowered at least 10 degrees from that at night, and when you are out of the house.
  7. Change furnace filters every month during the winter to make sure that your heating system is operating at optimum efficiency.
  8. Bundle up!  Make sure everyone in the house has warm socks or slippers to walk around in. Keep throw rugs on couches and chairs. Use flannel sheets and warm comforters on the beds.
  9. Find and seal leaks. Learn how to detect air leaks.  Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal leaks around your home.
  10. Try raising the temperature in your home slowly, no more than a few degrees at a time. This uses less energy than raising the thermostat higher and quickly.
  11. If you have ceiling fans, try using them in the opposite direction in winter to push warm air back down into the room.
  12. Keep the fireplace damper closed and the flue in the closed position, unless a fire is burning.
  13. Try using a humidifier in the winter. The air in your home can become very dry, and moist air feels warmer and holds heat better. This will make your home feel more comfortable.
  14. Make sure your furnace is clean and unblocked. A yearly furnace maintenance routine will go a long way towards saving you money on your heat bill.
  15. Limit use of exhaust fans in the winter. Only use exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom when you absolutely need them, because they pull warm air up and out of your home.

by See Jane Drill, Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved