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Throughout the year the majority of your expenses will stay relatively the same, but there are some expenses that rise and fall with the changing of the seasons.
For my family the cooler months bring an increase in our gift spending (Christmas/birthdays), groceries (Thanksgiving, house parties), and heating bill.
Today I will share with you how we keep our heating bill down. Remember, just because it’s getting colder out, it doesn’t mean your heating bill has to skyrocket.
Here are easy ways to reduce your heating bill right now.
#1 Dress warmer
When walking around your house make sure to put on your socks or your favorite comfy bear slippers. Keeping your feet covered will keep you from turning up the thermostat as high. I hate the feeling of cold tile in the morning.
If you still feel cold wrap yourself up in a shawl, blanket, or a Snuggie-like fleece.
#2 Use a programmable thermostat
If you have multi-zone heating in your home you’re in great shape.
Our house does not, but we do have a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows you to create different programs to run for the day/week. For example, you can have your thermostat set to turn off or go to a lower temperature when no one is home and to go back up when people are home from work or school. I set ours so that the heat kicks on when we are waking up and lowers before we head to bed.
#3 Space heater
Instead of turning on the heat to warm up the whole house, think about just heating the rooms you are in.
At night if it’s not extremely cold, I just use a space heater to heat up our bedroom. The heat is more concentrated and much more cost efficient.
There are many types of space heaters and ones that are cool to the touch if you have curious little ones. You might want to use a humidifier with the space heater to add moisture to the air and prevent dryness.
#4 Don’t lose heat
Check your windows and doors to make sure that they are sealed tight and not letting any unwanted warm air escape. When we lived in our condo we bought a window kit, which is like shrink wrap insulation for your windows.
In the morning I open up the curtains and let the sun shine in to heat up the house. Later in the evening I close the curtains to block out some of the cool air.
When we were younger my mom used to use a rolled up towel to block the cold air from coming in underneath the doors. Nowadays they sell these draft stoppers that are much nicer looking.
#5 Turn on the oven
The cooler months are great for baking because you don’t have to worry about sweating up a storm. After you’re done baking, leave the oven door ajar so the heat can escape and help warm up your kitchen and adjoining areas (obviously if you have kids around operate on the side of caution).
The cooler days are a great time to run your oven on clean. Most ovens take about two hours and heat up the house nicely.
#6 Block off unused rooms
There are some rooms that we use less often than others. Close the doors and vents of these rooms so that you aren’t heating them when not in use.
#7 Use your fireplace
Our family room tends to be the coldest room in the house because it has the fireplace and is right next to the garage. Although the fireplace is a great way to heat the house, we get a big draft when it’s not in use. Make sure to close your damper to prevent cool drafts from coming in.
#8 Turn on your ceiling fan
Yes you read that right! Turning your ceiling fan on can reduce your heating bill. I just started doing this and it makes a big difference.
To do this you first need to make sure your fan is set to turn clockwise. If you have a “fancy” fan you can use the remote. If you don’t and have a fan like ours, look for the toggle switch on the body of your fan. By making the blades turn clockwise you will be pushing the warm air down, making your room feel warmer.
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In the summer you would do the opposite. Make sure the blades are turning counter-clockwise so that your fan pushes the cool air down.
Grab a hot chocolate, wrap yourself up in a blanket and enjoy the extra cash you are going to save by reducing your heating bill.
Do you have any other ways to reduce your heating bill? Please share with us in the comments below.
I love all of the suggestions, especially using the oven. Great excuse to make chocolate chip cookies!
lol yes Lisa exactly. We made chocolate cupcakes the other day..to heat up the house of course 🙂
Excellent tips coming into the heating season!
Great ideas! We are Texans so even the faintest bit of cool air makes us freeze! We utilize almost all of your suggestions! Winter is the best time to negotiate a new pair of ugg slippers with the hubs 😂
lol yes. I heard the Ugg slippers are super comfortable too. Early Christmas gift 🙂
This past summer we got a ductless heat pump (had cadet wall heaters before). Have definitely noticed a reduction in our electric bill after we did that. It is better at keeping the house a constant temperature.
that’s really interesting. I’ve seen it in a few homes. We just had solar panels installed last year which also helps keep our costs down.
When our clothes drier is running it really heats up our condo apartment. So on really cold days I will wash something like bedding that doesn’t get washed all the time. Just another idea. I like your suggestions! I’m always trying to think of ways since I like it warm and my husband likes it cold.
Great idea! My comforter takes forever to dry too.
We miss having ceiling fans and a fireplace now that we are in an apartment. Those were our go-to ways to keep the heating bills down!
My mom has always left the oven open after baking during the winter! These are all great tips.
We are all about not turning on the heat unless we absolutely have to! We have lots of fires and I never thought about opening the over door after use!! Good idea!
I didn’t know the fan trick! We have two in our room (huge room in the basement where we sleep) and now I know how to get that air circulating and feeling a little warmer. You would think I would know this, but I didn’t! Lol. Thanks for sharing!
lol it’s new to me too. Glad I could help
Great tips, i never think to use my fireplace but it really is a cost effective option that with some planning can really be cost saving.
These are such great tips. I really don’t turn on the heater unless I need to in the winter – I guess it helps that I live in California too though. 🙂 Dressing warmer is usually my go-to, unless it’s a unusually cold night.