Sometimes a little investment will lead to big savings, however if you don’t have the money to spend you can still find zero-cost ways to lower your heating bill during the winter. All it takes is a few common sense adjustments.
*Turn Down The Thermostat
Constantly turning your thermostat up and down will cause your furnace to work harder and will cost more without keeping you warm. Set your thermostat to about sixty-eight degrees F and leave it there. For every extra degree you turn it down, you will realize even more savings, but be sure you will be comfortable at that temperature.
*Dress Warmly
It cost absolutely nothing to put on a few more items of clothing if you are chilled. Wearing warm socks, long johns, a sweater or heavier fabrics will hold your body’s heat close to you and therefore keep you warmer. When sitting to read, watch TV or just relax, cover yourself with a throw.
*Close Off Unused Rooms
When the temperature drops low, consider closing off rooms that are seldom used such as a formal living room or dining room and unused bedrooms too. Why pay the extra expense of heating a space that you aren’t using?
*Make Use Of The Sun’s Heat
Open the curtains on the side of the house facing the sun and let the sun warm those rooms. Sunlight shining through a window can generate a lot of heat that costs you nothing. Once the sun has moved and no longer shines in the windows, close the curtains to help hold the heat.
*Stop Drafts
Check around doors, windows, electrical outlets and under sinks for drafts. Even if you don’t feel a draft there may be one present, which you can detect by lighting a candle and holding it near doors, windows, outlets and under sink cabinets. The slightest draft will cause the candle to flicker. Cover windows with curtains and place a draft snake under doors (a folded towel works well).
*Make Use Of Oven And Dryer Heat
The coldest parts of the day are usually early morning and late evening. This is a good time for drying laundry and using your oven for baking. When you remove foods from the oven, leave the oven door open to allow the heat to warm the kitchen.
*Use Ceiling Fans
It’s a well-known fact that heat rises and simply reversing the blades on your ceiling fan will move this heat back down into the room, rather than warming the ceiling. Keep the speed at low to keep from causing a chilling draft.
All of these ideas are common sense, zero-cost ways to lower your heating bill in the winter. Make every penny count and the dollars will take care of themselves.