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With so much of your utility budget going toward keeping your home warm, anything that you can do to retain heat in your home or keep the heat from leaving is a money saver. Here are 5 tips that will help you to lower your heating bill:
- Open your drapes when the sun is shining into the window. This allows the sun to heat your home. Close your drapes (the heavier the better) when the sun is not shining in the window. This will help to hold the heat in the space and keep it from literally going out the window. Follow the tips in the winterize your home video to keep those windows from being drafty.
- Clean or replace the filters in your heating system. Ensure you do not have furniture or storage in front of your heating vents, especially if you have floor vents. Remember heat rises and it can’t rise if it is covered by your sofa.
- Get an annual inspection for your furnace. Yes, heating systems need to be maintained just like your air conditioner. An annual servicing of your furnace can not only save you money but it can also prevent a fire by cleaning out lint build-up and ensuring that your system is operating properly and efficiently. Per the Chicago Tribune, if your system is only 60% efficient, then that means that you are loosing 40 cents on every dollar!
- If your health will allow, wear more clothes and lower the temperature a few degrees. Place lap rugs around your house so that you can place one over your legs or over your shoulders to keep you warm. If you are in Southern California… it’s time to take off the flip-flops and put on socks and shoes.
- Wear a hat. Remember how Scrooge had on a sleeping cap when he went to bed in every version of Charles Dicken’s Christmas classic? Scrooge was saving money by not heating his house. So, he wore a hat to keep him warm. You don’t have to be Scrooge to wear a comfy sleeping night cap. They really do keep you warm.
Hummm. All this writing about the cold is making me want a nice mug of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. Another great way to keep warm.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Especially in the south (southern CA or wherever) make sure you don’t allow the humidity to build up in your house too much when you turn off or turn down the heat. When it’s humid outside and you don’t heat your house or use a dehumidifier, it will just build up and that is an invitation for other problems (like mold and bugs.)
@Paula Great tip! Thanks for sharing. My bathroom does not have a fan and we constantly deal with mold – nothing vinegar and baking soda won’t clean – but still a pain.
I live in the mid-South, it gets cold here too. I wear heavy socks, because if my feet are cold, I’m cold. Use heavier curtains in winter, and heaver bed comforter too. Glove are a must. Also, use floor window/patio airflow protectors, so the cold doesn’t come through the floor area. Some use the plastic type window covers (to keep cold out). Also, drink more hot tea, cider this itme of year.
@di Love the idea of using heavier curtains and drinking lots of hot tea. Yum! My fave is chai.
Running around with shorts and a tank top in the middle of winter just doesn’t make much sense. Winter is winter because it is cold, s act like it even if you’re just sitting around the house. Put on a sweater or sweatshirt, wear socks and fuzzy slippers. Place a soft, comfy blanket on the couch to cuddle up in while watching TV, reading or chatting with friends. Put throw rugs on hardwood and tile floors to eliminate the shock of the ice cold surfaces. It doesn’t cost anything to wear warmer clothes inside and by doing so you can keep the temperature inside the house a few degrees cooler and save big.