Now that the heat of summer is over, your next big utility expense is on the horizon – heating your home through what may end up being a long, cold winter. If you’re tired of paying excessive prices to keep your home warm in the winter months, then now is the time to implement some home heating tips. Here are ten easy ways to keep your home warmer this winter, so you can reduce your heating bill and keep more money where it belongs – in your pocket!
Replace Your Thermostat
If you’re still using the old dial-style thermostat, then you may be wasting a lot of money on heating. It’s time to replace that old thermostat for a more modern, programmable model. Or even better, a smart thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows you to control the temperature in your home automatically, according to a set schedule. A smart thermostat takes it one step further, allowing you to control the temperature in real time from anywhere using an app on your smartphone.
Seal Drafts
Air leaks can cause the heater to run more frequently, so take a weekend and go on a search-and-destroy mission for drafts. Apply caulk and weather-stripping around windows and doors and seal up any gaps in the walls around plumbing pipes. The more airtight your home is, the lower your energy bills are going be.
Break Out the Heavy Drapes
On bitingly cold days, pull the heavy drapes closed. This will form a thick barrier between the room and the ice-cold windows and help to keep the space warmer.
Rearrange the Furniture
Depending on where your furniture is sitting, it could be helping or hurting your home’s heat flow. Rearrange furniture that’s covering your registers or air intake vents. If there’s a spot in a room where the heat gets trapped, then move things around so the warm air can move throughout the room.
Insulate the Windows
Remember the cling-film your parents used to put over their windows in the winter when you were young? Well, they did it because it works, and that’s exactly why the product is still available. Applying heat-shrink insulation over your windows is an easy and affordable way to keep cold air out.
Get Your Furnace Inspected
Before you know it, you’ll be needing to use your furnace on a regular basis. So be sure to get it inspected and give it a much-needed tune-up now. This will ensure your furnace is running smoothly and primed and ready to go.
Increase the Humidity in the Home
We usually think of humidity as the enemy, but in the winter, raising the humidity in the home just slightly can have a drastic effect on the comfort level. The reason is because the body feels colder in drier air. Add some moisture to the air and your home will feel noticeably warmer.
Use Ceiling Fans
Heat rises and if there’s no air movement in your home, then the bulk of the heat in your home can get trapped near the ceiling. Instead, use your ceiling fans to help disperse the warm air back down into the room. You might not think it works, but it does!
Use a Space Heater
Does your family gather in one room in the evening? If so, you can turn off your furnace and heat just that room using a more efficient space heater. Or, if you work from home, use the space heater in your office. Heating only the room that’s used can greatly reduce your heating bills.
Turn Down the Thermostat
More than any other tip, simply turning the thermostat down a few degrees can reduce your heating bill by quite a bit. In fact, you can save up to 5% on your heating bill for every degree that you set back your thermostat. The recommended winter settings for your thermostat are 68° in the daytime and 55° at night.
Home Heating Tips to Help You Save
If your home’s windows are old and leaky and nothing you do stops cold air from getting in, then it’s time you thought about replacing them with new windows. At Thompson Creek, we make it easy and affordable to replace the windows on your home. We custom design, build, and install all our windows, so you’re guaranteed beautiful windows that not only look great but also maximize your home’s energy efficiency. To learn more, contact Thompson Creek and get a free estimate for new windows today.