There’s no denying that winter is here. And what is better than staying at home, cozy and warm thanks to your home’s heater. But, then you get the heating bill and realize that keeping your home warm in the winter will leave you broke. So it’s time to think about how you can cut down the cost of your heating bills. Utility bills often double at this time of year, depending on where you live. If you are running heat regularly, here are 3 easy ways to save money.
1. Do an Energy Audit of Your Home
Lots of energy providers will happily come to your home, free of charge or for a small fee, to do an energy audit of your home. This audit will spot any ways that your home might be losing heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. More specifically, an audit will help you to find any leaks around your doors and windows, and find any areas that aren’t properly insulated.
By finding the areas of your home that lose heat, you can make adjustments to make your home more heat-efficient. By fixing the situation, your heating bills will reduce because you’ll need less energy to maintain warmth inside your home. Contact your energy provider to schedule an audit and save money in the process.
2. Consider Alternative Heating Sources
It might be more cost-effective to use a fireplace or wood-burning stove in your home. Figure out if burning wood will be cheaper than using electric heat to warm up. Likewise, if you live in a ground-floor apartment, you might want to consider moving to the second or third floor because higher floors are cheaper to heat.
Another simple way to cut costs is to only heat the rooms that you use. Mini-split systems are gaining popularity as they are quiet, heat-efficient, and don’t cost as much to heat a room as a full-sized AC/Heater. You can install one in each room, and only use it in the room you need. By heating your whole home it’s easy to waste electricity and money. If you don’t want to install a mini-split system, consider using a plug-in electric heater instead.
3. Adjust Your Thermostat
It makes sense to turn the thermostat down while you sleep or when you are out of the house. Or if you don’t mind the cold, you can layer on your sweaters and learn to live at a cooler temperature. By keeping your thermostat at 58 degrees, you can cut your heating bills by at least 50%. But, obviously, your house will be quite chilly. While 58 is low, you can compromise and pick a higher temperature. But if you really want to save money keep the number a little lower than you’d usually like.
If you can’t handle the cold at all, get a programmable thermostat instead and figure out a heating schedule that works with your family’s routine.
