Here are a few cost-saving tips to help you wait out the winter without deep freezing your budget.
Check your furnace
If your furnace is old (i.e. inefficient) consider saving up to replace it in time for next winter.
To save money now, check the furnace filter regularly, even if your furnace is relatively new. Keeping the filter clean improves your furnace's efficiency, bringing down your heating/cooling costs. Depending on the type of filter you have, how often you need to change it or clean it will vary. If you have pets that shed hair or a person who smokes living in the house you should change your filter as often as once each month, but some filters can last as long as six-eight months.
Keep the heat in!
Especially in older homes, it is important to seal the windows during colder months to eliminate drafts and keep in as much heat as possible.
Plastic sealing kits are available at most major home goods stores and are easy to install. Sealing leaks around doors, ducts and pipes with caulk or weather-stripping will also keep heat inside your house longer, meaning you need to run your furnace less.
Turn down the temperature
Turn the temperature down on your furnace at night and when you're not at home. Between 60-65 degrees is comfortable for most households.
Keeping your water heater set around 120 degrees can also save money; water heating accounts for 14 - 25 percent of the energy consumed in the average home.
By opening the curtains or blinds on south-facing windows during the day, you can turn down the thermostat a few degrees and let the sun naturally heat those areas of the house.
Layer Up
Consider keeping your house cooler and wearing a few layers and slippers to stay warm. Throw another blanket on your bed.
Cook meals at home
Not only is cooking and baking at home cheaper than eating out, but the extra heat from the stove will help keep your house warm. When you use the oven, keep the door open after you've turned it off so the extra heat goes into the house rather than outside.
Reverse ceiling fans
A lesser-known heat-saving tip is to switch your ceiling fans to spin clockwise.
In a still room, all the warm air rises and ends up collecting near the ceiling. Depending on how well your house or apartment is insulated, that
can mean up to a seven degree difference in temperature
from the floor to the ceiling. Reversing the ceiling fan
will push all that warm air back down into the room,
meaning you'll feel comfortable even with the thermostat
set a little cooler.
If you use these strategies and still see a skyrocketing heating bill every month, consider replacing your insulation or appliances with more energy-efficient options. Depending on what products you purchase, you can even earn an energy tax credit!
Peoples State Bank, Member FDIC
