During the rest of the year most people’s heating bills are low to non-existent, but during the winter they can become out of control. This financial hardship is compounded by the other costs most households incur during the end of the year, such as back to school and holiday expenses. This is why it is so important to try to get a handle on your heating bill. Here are some no-cost ways to reduce your heating bill.
You should always keep your thermostat at around 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you are home. During the day, if everyone is out of the house, you should have the thermostat even lower. Before you leave the house turn the heat down to 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Any lower and it might be a struggle for your heater to warm up the house when you get home, and this may cost you more money. At night, since you are probably bundled up and generating your own heat, you should turn your thermostat down to 66 degrees. If you have a programmable thermostat this is even easier, and you can even program it to turn up the heat before anyone is scheduled to be home.
There are ways of directing that heat being pumped into your house to the rooms you want to heat. Keep closet doors closed. Also, cover the vents and close the doors in the room that don’t need to be heated, like an unused guest room. These extra spaces can take a lot of energy to heat. At night, when the heat is low, make sure to keep bedroom doors closed so the heat from running the heater all day stays in the closed space. Also, if there is a big gap at the bottom of your bedroom door, put a rolled up towel to block air flow. If there is no gap then you probably don’t need to do this.
Something else you should be mindful of is what you wear. Before you turn up the heat put on more clothes. Flannel is really good for keeping body heat near the body. If you don’t already have flannel, layering is great. The layers will trap body heat just as well as flannel. Always keep a blanket on the couch. When you are still your body isn’t producing as much heat as when you are moving, so when you are curled up on the couch with a good book, lay a blanket across your lap. When you are on the computer you want to do the same thing.
These are all free things you can do now with things you already have on hand to save on your winter heating bill. Other things, such as adding insulation or caulking around windows, are low cost ways that can also help, but free is not only cheaper, it is easier since you already have everything you need to make your home warmer while reducing your energy bill.