We all like to stay warm and cozy in the winter, but cranking up the heat is costly and can consume our budgets in the coldest months of the year. It s much healthier to live in a warm house, so you know you ll spend on it no matter how high the costs go. But why let your heating bill control you when you can try some of these tip to bring it down?
Tune-up. Make sure your heating system is operating at peak efficiency by having your boiler or furnace checked out and maintained each year. In a typical cold winter you ll more than recover the cost of maintenance as a well-tuned furnace runs much more efficiently than a neglected one.
Get a programmable thermostat. Using a programmable thermostat could save 10 20% per bill if you use it wisely. Turn down the heat to about 55 degrees at night or when you re not home. Program the thermostat to turn back up to your favored temperature about twenty minutes before you return from work and about twenty minutes earlier than you set your alarm clock for. Don t have a programmable thermostat or the cash to install one? You can still turn down your heat while sleeping and while at work, it just requires more diligence.
Let the sun shine in. Use solar heat by keeping the blinds open and letting the sun warm your house during the day. Not only will it lower your heating bill, the natural light will help keep the winter doldrums at bay.
Hang thermal curtains. A good set of insulated can keep in a surprising amount of heat. Keep them shut at night and on gray days and you ll hang onto more of that precious heat you re paying for and stay comfy.
Fill the gaps. Windows and doors are notorious culprits for letting heat escape. Check for drafts and install weather stripping, caulking, or other appropriate material to keep heat in.
Dress for the weather. Dig into your closet for your favorite winter wear: fuzzy slippers, chunky cable knit sweaters, long scarves, handmade shawls don t you just love them? Pile on your fashionable layers and curl up on the couch with a book content in the knowledge you re snug enough to turn the thermostat down a couple degrees.
Use a space heater. If you only use one or two rooms in the house most of the time, keep the thermostat low and then warm up the room you re in with a space heater. Perhaps you work at home and spend almost eight straight hours in your office why heat the whole house when a space heater will keep you warm?
