How to Help Save On Your Heating Bill This Winter

Insulation

A lot of heat can be lost due to lack of insulation in your home. While you most likely do not want to rip out drywall to add more insulation onto your home, most houses have unfinished attics that allow one to easily add insulation. Heat rises and therefore the attic is also one of the most important places to insulate.

Thermostats

If your home does not already include a programmable thermostat, you should definitely invest in one. Programmable thermostats can help save energy by heating your home only when you need it to be heated. If you already have a thermostat able to be programmed, make sure that you take advantage of it. Set it to around 60 degrees when you are away from home and you will start to see savings in your next energy bill.

Windows and Doors

Doors and windows can also be major sources of heat loss. First, you will want to check for gaps in your doors and windows. You can check for gaps by holding candles near the edges of your doors and windows. If you see a flickering in the candle and feel cold air, you most likely have a gap. You can seal these gaps with weather stripping or caulk and for the bottom of your doors, you can use either door snakes or door sweeps to mitigate the gaps.

You may also want to consider replacing some of your windows that may be single paned with multi-paned windows to help with insulation.

Furnaces

Furnaces can also leak heat into a furnace room instead of transferring that heat to the rest of your home. To combat this, make sure that your air ducts are cleaned regularly and that your furnace is insulated.

Fire places

While fireplaces are indeed romantic, they are not energy efficient. A fireplace will warm the surrounding area, but cool the rest of your home. To equalize the pressure with the outside air, the hot air that escapes through your chimney draws in cold air effectively cooling your home more than it heats it. Not to mention that heating a home with wood is incredibly inefficient. Always make sure to close the flue on your fireplace when it is not in use.

Check your Vents

If you place furniture in front of heating vents, this could reduce the effectiveness of your heating system and disrupt the flow of hot air. Make sure to move your furniture away from vents if possible.

For more tips on saving energy in your home, check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s website.