Keep Your Winter Heating Bills Low

What to do in winter

Savings

• Keep your thermostat a bit lower (and wear a sweater).  Lowering your thermostat by 1º F can reduce your energy consumption by 2%.

• Get a humidifier. Air with some moisture feels warmer. Even if your thermostat is set lower, this will help you feel warmer. (For example, if you set your thermostat at 69º F with a 35% relative humidity, it will feel just as warm as 72º at 19% relative humidity and will save you roughly 5% in annual heating costs).

• Install a programmable thermostat.  Lowering your thermostat by 10 degrees at night can reduce your heating costs by 10 to 20%.

• Replace your furnace filters once a month.  This can save you up to 10% on your heating costs.

• Turn off kitchen and bath exhaust fans within twenty minutes of cooking or bathing.  Accidentally leaving one of these fans on could remove all the warm air from your home in a little more than an hour.

• Keep your drapes and shades open on the south side of your home.  This will allow sunlight in to warm your home naturally.  Make sure to close your drapes at night to help reduce chill from windows.

• Insulate your hot water heater tank and pipes (also make sure to drain a quart of water from your tank every three months to remove sediment - this will improve heat transfer and keep your water heater's efficiency up). The easiest way to do this is to get an insulation blanket.

• Weatherstrip and caulk windows.  It can save up to 25% of your heating bill.

• Close the heating vents when you're not using a room.  Why heat something when it's not in use?  Make sure to close the doors to that unused room as well (for added savings, you might consider rolling a small rug and placing it under the door crack to block any gaps).  This can save you up to 3%.

• Keep your vents clear when they are in use.  If rugs or furniture are blocking your vents, it will affect their efficiency. 

• Keep your fireplace damper closed. As heat rises, an open damper will suck warm air out of a room.  (If you don't use your fireplace, consider sealing it temporarily.)  This can save you 5-15%.

   + $90-270

TOTAL SAVINGS PER WINTER:

 $1100