Heating a home can cost hundreds of dollars per month, but there are a few simple ways to reduce heating costs.
Follow the steps below to save money on home heating.
photo courtesy of Daniel Zedda flickr.com/photos/astragony/4411532832/Bundle Up
Put on one extra layer of clothes and turn down your thermostat in order to save money.
The extra later of clothes will keep you nice and toasty and help reduce home heating costs.
Thermostat
Get a programmable thermostat or a smart thermostat to keep your home warm when you are awake and cooler when you are sleeping or away from the house.
Furnace
Have your furnace inspected yearly.
The inspection fee will generally be offset by the better furnace performance.
Space Heater
Why are you heating an entire house when you are only in one room?
Consider getting a small space heater for the room you spend the most time in.
You can even put the space heater on a timer to heat your bathroom just before you wake up in the morning.
Heated Blanket or Mattress Pad
Why are you heating your entire room while you sleep?
Consider using a heated blanket or heated mattress pad #ad to keep your bed nice and warm at night.
Fireplace
Make sure to close your fireplace damper to keep the warm air inside your home.
You don't want the air that you have paid to heat escaping through the roof.
You can also get glass fireplace doors to help with loss of heat.
Water Heater
Only keep your water heater as hot as necessary.
Heating a water heater just 5 degrees warmer takes much more energy.
Also get a water heater blanket #ad to insulate your water heater and reduce heating costs.
Use a low flow shower head to reduce the amount of water you use.
Wash your clothing in cold water.
Only run your dishwasher when it is full.
Air Filters and Vents
Ensure that warm air can properly circulate throughout your home.
Do not block any air vents or return air vents, and ensure that your air filters are replaced regularly.
Insulate
You can add insulation to your attic, but don't forget about insulating the inside of your home also.
On a cool day, go inside and walk around the exterior walls of your home feeling for cool air coming inside.
Especially check around doors, windows, electrical outlets, and inside cabinets.
Insulate those areas to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.
You might want to purchase special outlet insulation #ad or attic stairs insulation #ad.
Ducts
Inspect your air ducts for leaks and places they have come disconnected, else you will be heating your attic or crawl space.
If your ducts are very old and in bad condition, you may want to have them all replaced.
Windows
Glass will allow cool air inside your home, so cover it whenever possible.
Keep your curtains closed when you are not home but open them when sunny to let the heat in.
You can also get storm windows or window film to help insulate your windows.
Reflective insulation #ad covering windows works really well to keep the cold out of your home, however is not really attractive.
If you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars, consider replacing all of your single paned windows with double or triple paned energy efficient windows.
You might like the article How to Make Your Windows More Energy Efficient.
Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans in your home, reverse the direction (there is usually a switch on the side) and run them on the lowest speed.
The change in direction will help circulate the heat that is rising up to go down into the room.
Oven
When you cook something in the oven, crack the door open once you are finished and have turned the oven off.
Since the oven is turned off, you are heating your kitchen with free hot air.
This is not advised if you have little ones who might be able to reach and accidentally burn themselves.
Heating Gas or Oil
If your home uses propane or another heating gas or oil, purchase it in the off season (spring or summer) when it is cheaper.
Instead of renting a holding tank from a company that has to be filled with that company's gas or oil, purchase your own tank so you can call around and negotiate prices with several companies.
Other Articles You Might Like.....
How to Make Windows More Energy Efficient
How to Save Money by Passively Heating and Cooling Your Home
