Simple Tips for Saving Home Heating
These days everyone is looking for a few ways to save a couple of dollars on home heating. You may find ways to cut back on the amount of heat you use in your home during the winter or find methods to save the heat that you have. Try a few of these tips for yourself, and you may save and still find that you can be warm and comfortable.
Step 1
Use common sense for saving money on home heating by turning down your thermostat or heat control setting. The minute you use less energy or power, you start saving money. Average savings may be as much as three percent of the home heating bill when the thermostat is lowered only by one degree. Just imagine how much you can save with further cuts.
Step 2
Dress appropriately indoors for winter conditions. There is nothing wrong with wearing a heavy sweater or sweatshirt in your home while watching TV or relaxing and this will make you feel warmer. Wearing heavy pajamas while sleeping with an extra blanket saves money too.
Step 3
Consider turning down the thermostat nightly before bed and also in the morning before leaving for work. Heating your home when you are not home is just running up your electric or gas bill.
Step 4
Hot water heaters are often overlooked in regards to home heating. Water heaters must heat water according to the set temperature, so it is ready for use at all hours unless they are on demand systems. However, most people never even check the hot water heater settings, which are usually set at the factory default of 140 degrees. In reality, you can still have plenty of hot water for laundry and showers with a setting of 120 degrees. This could be a substantial savings to monthly propane or electric bills.
Step 5
Even after taking steps for saving money on home heating, you may find that the heat you are using is drifting right out the attic. Unfortunately, many home builders put in the bare minimum of insulation in attics these days or do a poor job. It is a good idea to check your attic insulation and see if additional insulation would be helpful. It may cost as much as $500 for additional insulation, but eventually this amount will pay off with a warmer and comfortable home.
Step 6
Look for ways to keep home heating in your home by evaluating each room. Check for air leaks around doors and your windows, which may need new weather-stripping. Make a habit of opening blinds and curtains on the sunny side of your home to let the sun warm the room. Opening them before leaving the house will let the sun warm the room all day long during cold winter months. Get in the habit of running ceiling fans to pull warm air down from the ceiling to increase the warmth of a room.
Tips
Consider closing off rooms, which are not used or have no activity during the winter for saving on home heating. Turn off heating vents into these rooms and seal the base of the door with an old towel to prevent heat from leaking into an unused room. Instruct children not to adjust the home heating thermostat unless they are told to.
Sources and Citations
http://financialplan.about.com/od/savingmoney/a/How-To-Save-Money-On-Heating-Bills-This-Winter.htm
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