Literally 50 percent of the entire United States has been hit with snow or a winter storm this week! Seattle to Texas to New England and everywhere in between. It’s cold and our homes are doing their best to keep us warm. But there are a few things you can do to keep warm AND lower your home heating bills at the same time. Try one or more of these simple but easy ideas.
- Close blinds and curtains at night. And open during the day. Your blinds and curtains add an additional layer of insulation to your windows, so close them as soon as they aren’t letting any sun or light in.
- Buy a programmable thermostat. Especially if someone isn’t at home all day, a programmable thermostat can lower the temps during the day when you’re away and bring the heat back up for when you come home. Some will lower it at night as well, when everyone is warm in their beds.
- Recycle the heat. You are using heat from other sources – use it elsewhere in the house. Steam from the shower? Keep the door cracked and let the steam heat other rooms. Done using the oven? Keep the oven door cracked and let the remaining heat dissipate over the rest of the house.
- Shore up leaky doors and windows. Yes, you may need new windows, doors or insulation, but if you can’t do that right away (though you could do those things with some of the equity in your home with a refinance) there’s some simpler ideas. Drafts below the doors or windows? Place a rolled up towel across the leaky area. Leaky windows? Plastic insulation kits are super cheap and quick an easy to install.
- Wear a sweater! Truthfully, this can be the toughest, but lower your house a couple degrees, maybe every couple days until you find a comfortable temp that you can live with. Maybe the savings is worth it?
- Replace your furnace filters. Furnace filters should be replaced every 3 months. When they aren’t replaced, they hinder air flow and cause the furnace to work harder (more energy) without allowing the warm air through as easily.
Hope these help you stay warm and save money!
