Top 10 Easy Ideas to Help You Cut Heating Costs
As utility expenses continue to rise, nearly everyone is looking for ways to shave a few dollars off their monthly bill. It may seem the only solution is to turn down the thermostat and put on an extra sweater but there are things you can do to take control of energy expenses and stay warm when cold weather sets in.
- Set the thermostat to keep you comfortably warm during the day but turn it down while you’re away or asleep. Make the job easier by installing a programmable thermostat and you can set it and forget it.
- Add weatherstripping to all doors and windows. It’s amazing how much heat can be lost through tiny gaps and cracks around the edge of a window or door. Multiply that by all the windows and doors in your home and you’re losing a lot of expensive heat to the outdoors.
- Check the heating ducts for lose joints or gaps. You can seal these by wrapping with tape, but surprisingly you shouldn’t use household duct tape. There’s a special foil tape made specifically for ductwork.
- Insulate your ducts. A lot of heat is lost as warm air travels from the furnace to its destination. If you insulate the ductwork, you won’t have to waste a lot of heat warming them up.
- Change the furnace filter regularly. Use a quality high-efficiency filter and change it every three months or more often if you have pets. A dirty filter will make your furnace work harder, which in turn makes it inefficient at heating.
- Close the doors to rooms you don’t use. They will receive some residual heat from the rest of the house and you won’t be spending money to heat empty spaces.
- Install insulated draperies. These have a rubber backing that stops heat from escaping and helps to keep the cold out. They’ll work equally as well at keeping the heat out in the summer so they’re a very good investment.
- Use a ceiling fan. Hot air naturally rises and ends up on the ceiling. A ceiling fan will pull the hot air from the ceiling and mix it back in with the room air where it will make you feel more comfortable. Set the fan on low to avoid creating a breeze.
- Run the kitchen and bath exhaust fans only as needed. It doesn’t take long for them to start pulling the warm air from the house.
- If you use the oven, leave the door open once you turn it off. The additional heat will warm the kitchen.