The cost of gas and electricity are always on the rise. Everyone loathes checking the heating bill at the end of the month. With Christmas and New Years spending, an expensive heating bill can be a huge burden on a family.
Save money with these tricks
- Wear warm clothing. Instead of walking around in a t-shirt and shorts, switch to wearing heavier clothes. Put on a pair of socks, sweaters and jogging pants. This will keep your body warm, no matter which part of your home you are in.
- Stay in heated rooms. Is there a room in your house that stays hot and warm such as the kitchen? There is always a lot of heat in the kitchen because of cooking. Combine eating and relaxing in the same area.
- Check for leaks. Old window frames will have certain leaks. You can seal air leaks around the window with some weather strips and you can buy door sweeps to place under the doors. You can test if the window is leaking air by holding a candle near the window. Also make sure the vents in your fireplace are closed and the glass door is covering the fire pit.
- Natural heat. Allow some sunshine to come into your home. Open the curtains to let the sunshine come in and heat your home with some solar radiation. If you feel cold, then take a moment to bask in the sunlight. There is nothing hotter than sitting in the sun.
- Smart thermostat management. Get a thermostat that can turn down the heat during the day and crank it up during the night. This will always help you manage your heat on those days that you forget to turn down your thermostat before you head out to work.
- Take stock of rooms. What rooms are being used around the house? If you spend majority of your time in the home office or garage then consider purchasing a portable wall heater or propane wall heater to keep you warm. You don’t need to heat the whole house if you are only using 1 room. Work smart and it won’t cost you a lot in the long run.
- Lower the temperature. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says “You can save 3% on your heating bill for every degree you reduce.” Turn down the heat a little in your house. Lowering the temperature by 1 degree will not make that much of a difference.
- Clear the vents. Go around your house and make sure that none of the vents or ducts are covered. Lift the vent covers to make sure there are no clogs. Clean the vents if the airflow is minimal. If the airflow is still limited then it might time to call in the duct cleaners.
Cutting the bill.
It takes a lot of effort to reduce your monthly heating bill but it can be done. Simple tricks help realize about how much energy is actually being wasted. This will also help you cut bills in other parts of your life i.e. Summer air conditioning bill.
Be bold and take these steps above to put some extra cash in your wallet.