Five Tips To Lower Your Heating Bill

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FIVE TIPS TO LOWER YOUR HEATING BILL

Appropriate Clothing Around The House

Wear warmer clothes around the house. If you insist on wearing a tank top and shorts, you're going to have to set the heater at a higher temperature to keep warm. Make sense? Wear sweaters, thermals, sweats and long pants. Get in the habit of wearing warmer clothes around the house and you won't need to turn the heat up very high in order to stay warm.

In addition to that, be sure to close off the "vents" in unused or unoccupied rooms. Why waste money heating a room when it's not being used?

Create Circulation In Your Home

Regardless of what instrument you use to warm your living quarters, the heat that is generated WILL rise towards the ceiling. The trick is to find a way to push it back down to where you are. Ceiling fans are wonderful investments to remedy this problem. In addition to their winter use during warmer months, these ceiling fans will help cool the house which will decrease AC usage.

If ceiling fans are not in the expense budget at this time, you could look into purchasing a wall or ceiling mountable circular or box fan. You can mount it in one stationary area, or place in a SAFE area where it can circulate the higher, warmer air down, throughout the house.

Keep Your Heater Clean

Keep in mind that your heater, furnace, fireplace gets dirty. After all, high intensity heat is generated, and whenever there is air being "blown" into a room, there is some type of filtering system to remove dirt, dust and particles before entering a living area.

Be sure to keep your filters and registers clean for maximum efficiency. This will put less strain on your "heater" and provide cleaner flowing air into designated areas.

Insulate! Insulate! Insulate!

Think about it. Outside winter temperatures can be anywhere from 20-60 degrees lower than the inside of your house (depending on where you live). If you do not have insulation in critical areas throughout your house, you will spending thousands of additional dollars throughout the years, just to keep your house at a liveable temperature.

Spaces in your house that MUST be insulated if at all possible: attic area, basement ceilings and walls, between walls, crawl spaces, and any other space that has contact to the outside.

Get Rid Of Air Leaks & Beware of Windows

This is a must. Take the time to inspect each and every room in your house for drafts. Pay special attention around windows and doors, since these are "openings to the world". Keep in mind that a visual inspection may not be enough. Hold a candle, match, or stick of incense near closed windows and doors and see where the smoke travels. If outside air is getting in, the flame will flicker and smoke will either try and go towards the hole, or be blown away.

Any holes you find, you will need to use some type of sealant to close that space. Caulking, weather-stripping, or foam insulation will do the job nicely and prevent that cold, outside air from getting in.

In addition to that, keep in mind that windows are basically a minimal barrier to the harsh winds and cooler temperatures found outdoors. If at all possible, try and put something in front of them to prevent the cold from transgressing inwards. Thicker drapes during winter months, or even thick blankets can work wonders in keeping your house warmer.