How to Save Money on Your Heating Bill
Keep the temperature a little lower than we used to.
We keep it at about 65 degrees while we are home. When we are not home, we turn it down to 55 degrees. Why heat the house when you are not home? You can also buy a programmable thermostat to change the temperature for you automatically. We wear more sweatshirts and warmer clothing to keep ourselves warm. We also use a space heater in the room we are in, cuddle under blankets, and turn off the vents to the other rooms. We shut the doors to the unused rooms to keep the heat from escaping into the other rooms. Also, if you are lucky enough to have a wood burning stove or fireplace, use it!
Insulate the house better.
We took advantage of the Tax credit last year and bought insulation for our floors and installed it ourselves. It makes a world of difference in the temperature of the floor! Before it was like walking on ice cubes, but now it is much warmer. Next we plan on replacing some insulation in the attic. Heat rises, and we don’t want all our heat going up into the attic and escaping!
Install Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) and Energy-efficient appliances.
I know appliances are expensive, but the Energy Star appliances are worth the money. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace yourself. They will save you money, energy, and time in the long run! We picked up a multi-pack at Wal-Mart and used those. Make sure you get some with enough wattage to be bright enough.
Turn down your water heater’s temperature.
Your water heater may be set at a higher temperature than is actually needed. Check and see if you can lower it a few degrees. Also, try to wash your clothes in cold water as much as possible. I wouldn’t go below 120-115 degrees on the water heater’s temperature.
Have a professional check and clean your furnace.
If your furnace isn’t running how it should be, it can be very costly. At the very least replace the filters. If you have a professional come clean it, they should replace the filters for you. A little common sense can go a long way. These tips are just to help give some extra ideas on how to save more money!
