How To Save Money on Heating Home

Introduction

There are a lot of ways in which you can save money on your home heating bill throughout the winter. These range from very low-tech ways to the latest, high-tech, most efficient means to stay warm for less money. Of course, this is also better for the environment, which will provide you with plenty of incentive here. All it really takes is a little effort to be able to reduce your home heating bills by 5 percent to 10 percent, if not more.

Step 1

Check your home's thermostat. Lower it by just you degree. While you probably wont notice the difference in temperature, you'll definitely notice the difference in your home heating bill since this simple change will lower it by between 1 percent and 3 percent. This is really easy to do if you're using either an automated or a programmable thermostat. It is also important to make sure that you change your heaters filter on a regular basis. This will increase your heaters efficiency and lower your home heating bill as well

Step 2

Heat less water. Make sure that the hot water heater on your dishwasher is not set above 120 degrees. If you don't have a dishwasher, you can actually set your hot water heater even lower. Consider washing your clothes in cold water and spend less time in the weather (even by just 1 minute) will also provide you with a lot of savings on your home heating bill over the long run.

Step 3

Make sure that you use energy efficient appliances. Look for the Energy Star label. This indicates that the product uses between 10 percent to 50 percent less energy than the other models that don't have this label. There are also tax breaks available that you should know about for Energy Star appliances. With these discounts you may be surprised to find that it doesn't cost as much as you might think to replace an old furnace or water heater. This is especially true once you start saving money on your home heating bill as well

Step 4

Be on the lookout for leaks around your doors, windows, air conditioners, and fireplace. These can contribute to 30 percent of your home heating bills cost. In order to find these leaks, take a lit candle and walk around to these various areas of your home. The flame will indicate whether or not there's a leak. Now seal these with either caulk or weather stripping in order to start saving money on your home heating bill.

Step 5

Don't heat your entire home. Instead, use a space heater or the fireplace to make you room really warm. This should be the room that your family spends the most time in. Otherwise use an electric blanket or a sleeping bag that's rated for low temperatures (they're much warmer than a regular blanket) on your bed. You should also put on more clothes (i.e. an extra warm sweater) or cover up with a blanket. Of course, you can also cuddle up with someone to share body heat. Either way you'll be saving on your home heating bill.

Tips

You don't have to sacrifice your comfort in order to save money. You can stay warm without spending a lot of money.

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