Saving on Your Heating Bill

One of the most important things in a household is the heating. It is not only important for warmth but also for cooking and drying clothes. In the past, people used to have coal fires which warmed the house but were also very smoky.

This meant that the clothes often smelt of smoke and so did the house.

Nowadays, we are lucky enough to have a variety of different heating systems that are much cleaner and more efficient. However, it is important to remember the importance of household heating and to make sure that we keep our homes warm in the winter.

Thankfully, with modern innovations you can significantly reduce the cost of heating your house. There are a few things that you can do, and some things that you can buy to make your home cheaper to keep warm.

One of the most basic things to check is the insulation in your home. If you have an older home, the chances are that you have little to no insulation in your walls, basement, and/or attic.

This is a thick material that makes sure that the air in your house doesn't escape and air from the outside does not enter.

This is very important, and alone can have an influence of hundreds of dollars every year in heating and cooling costs.

Your Windows

Another factor to consider is your windows. Glass allows heat to enter and escape your home very easily, and since most homes have several windows in every room, there are many opportunities for warm air to escapes.

Window Covers

Also for your windows, buy thick window coverings. This not only provides privacy, but adds an extra layer or protection from the outside temperatures.

This will trap the heat inside and prevent the cold air from getting in through your windows.

Thermostat

You can also invest in a programmable thermostat. This will replace your old, manual thermostat and allow you to decide when your heater turns on, even if you're not at home.

This programming allows you to put your heating system on a timer so that it is only pumping out hot air when people are actually at home.

Or Remember to Turn down the Heat

If you don't want to buy a new thermostat or you can't afford one, you can manually turn down the heat in your home before your go to work and before you go to bed.

When you get home in the evening, you can turn the heat back on and have your house be warm when you can enjoy it.

This method is free, and actually put a few dollars back into your pocket. Another free method to lowering your bill every month is to turn down the temperature on your water heater.

Doors

The next precaution to take is difficult if you have kids, but you should really try to keep your doors to the outside closed.

Just like opening the oven door lets all the heat escape from cooking your food, opening your doors allows a lot of warm air to escape quickly.

Temps

This can drastically drop the inside temperature of your home, causing you to turn up the warm air and pay even more money to re-heat your house. So when leaving or entering the outdoors, open and close your doors quickly so that you can keep the warm air inside your house, inside.

Check Your Fireplace

This final step is often overlooked because it is so simple, but when you are not using your fireplace; close the damper.

This is the little door that lets the smoke escape from your chimney, but when a fire isn't burning, it lets warm air escape and lets cold air in. But be careful to re-open it before you light a fire or your house will fill with smoke and nobody wants that to happen.

Take these steps and you can significantly reduce the price that it costs to heat your house every winter.

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