10 Easy Tips To Save Money On Your Home Heating Bills
By Greg Quincy
With energy costs higher than they have ever been in recent
history, it pays to find ways to reduce your home heating costs. I put together
some tips that are easy, cost effective and will all add up to reduce your home
heating bills by a significant amount! You don’t need to be Bob Villa either.
Some take just a minute or two. Even small changes will add up to big savings
over the course of this cold winter!
Here are the 10 tips that I have personally used to save on my home heating
costs:
1. Head down to the basement and reduce the setting on your hot water
thermostat by about 10 degrees. I wouldn’t go below 120-115 degrees. The
adjustment dial is typically a red knob towards the bottom of the water tank.
2. While you are downstairs, make sure you have clean filters for your
central air-heating unit. A dirty and clogged filter will force your unit to
work much harder and stay on longer as it struggles to fresh air through the
clogged filter to heat the rest of your house.
3. Check your air ducts for gaps, leaks or disconnects. If you have any
disconnects or leaks in your ductwork, your heating bills could be 25% higher
than they need to be if these gaps were sealed. If you can’t do this on your
own, hire a professional. This expert can also clean your ducts for added
efficiency.
4. Adjust your thermostat a few degrees lower. Believe me, this really adds
up. It may not seem like much of a difference to you, but you will notice the
difference when you get a lower bill each month!
5. While we are on the subject of thermostats, consider replacing yours if
it is not programmable. The reason is, you can set the thermostat so the
temperature setting in your house is lower at night than during the day, when
you are awake. Also, if you are away at work during the day, you can set it for
a lower temperature and have it programmed to start heating the house a little
bit before you come home. These aren’t too expensive and are easy to install and
configure yourself.
6. Insulate your attic. Heat rises, right? If your attic isn’t properly
insulated, all of the heat in your house (and your money) goes right through the
roof. Literally! This does require some effort on your part, but following
through on this tip will save you a ton of money over the years. Measure the
square footage of your attic and buy rolls of insulation, greater than R-13 but
no higher than R-30. Wear a mask and gloves when working with insulation because
it irritates the skin.
7. Find those leaks and cracks! If you were to add up all of the small
cracks and holes in your house, they would probably add up to a small window,
wide open, letting cold air in and hot air out. Take the time to find gaps in
windows, doors, pipes, electrical and phone lines, your dryer duct and much
more. Put weather-strips around your doors and windows. You can buy insulation
foam that comes in a can with a straw at the top that allows you to fill in
tight spaces. It expands to fill even the smallest cracks. Of all of the tasks,
this was the most fun finding and filling these gaps all around the house.
8. Close the vents in rooms that you do not use. I have one room in my house
that is not currently in use. I shut the hot air ducts and made sure the windows
and doors were properly sealed to limit energy leakage. Why waste your money
heating up extra square footage of your house that you don’t even use?
9. Open drapes and shades for all of your windows during the day to let the
sun heat your home. In the evening, pull them back down for added insulation. It
is amazing how much direct sunlight streaming into your home helps to heat
things up.
10. Your fireplace can help and hurt your heating costs. If you are not
using your fireplace, make sure the damper is closed. When it is closed, inspect
the damper and feel if cold air is still leaking in. If you are using your
fireplace, make sure the heating in the rest of your house is reduced or turned
off.
Taking the time to implement these tips will drastically reduce your home
heating bills. You can get most of them done in just one day, but the payoff
will last for as long as you live there! I followed through on each one of these
tips and the following winter, my bills were about 25% lower, saving about $100
a month! So roll up your sleeves follow these tips and start saving money on
your heating costs!
Greg Quincy is the publisher of the website
http://www.financialtipsforyou.com, offering his money saving tips and other
personal finance advice that he has gained from working in the financial
industry and the economic challenges of raising a family. Copyright © 2005
http://www.FinancialTipsForYou.com