What are some ways that you save on your heating bill?

Question

Our heating bill was pretty high the last few months. What do you do to try to save on your heating bill?

Answer 1

Excellent Question! You can save money, the enviroment, and lower polution (and help reduce Global Warming greenhouse gases) by doing some simple things around the home.

http://www.energyhog.org

http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070221/light_bulb_campaign.html?.v=1

http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=Energy/Conservation/FlexYourPower/flexyourpower.html

http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=135

Answer 2

Try and set your thermostat between 65-70 degrees if you really need it, and wear sweaters around the house. Keep a blanket near the couch, as its nice to relax with, and maybe share it with a significant other. If you absolutely must run your heater, set a timer, or buy an automatic timed thermostat.

Make sure there is a clean filter on your intake if you have central air and heating.

Most In Home Cieling fans have a reverse switch, which will circulate warmer air down.

Dual or even triple paned windows for your home are a real help. Your local hardware store can help you out if you need them, and some power companies even offer rebates if you replace them.

Check the weather stripping around all exterior doors. Replace as needed.

Check stores for window insulators. Many stores carry an insulation material that looks like bubble wrap attached to aluminum foil. A piece of this placed on the window can help retain heat during the winter, and block it out during the summer.

Insulation in the attic, and/or under the house will help. If your exterior walls lack insulation, getting some might be a good idea. Many hardware stores carry an injectable expanding foam that can be put into exterior walls.

Also, I found that in my garage, attaching styrafoam to the interior panels of our roll-up garage door, has helped the temperature maintenance. You can find sheets of foil coated styrafoam at Home Depot in the building materials section, and then custom cut it to fit your garage door. Our Garage used to get super cold, or super hot depending on the seasons. This has changed the temperature for the better, by about 15-20 degrees seasonally.

Answer 3

i've heard a lot of people offer a lot of suggestions that i have tried and have seemingly failed. i have found that if you turn down/off your thermostat when you aren't home or are sleeping, it doesn't make a damn bit of difference. your heater just runs double time when you turn it back on. if you are going to run it until you are at a comfy temp, then turn it back off, and back on again later, there's no difference in price than just leaving it on a moderate temp with an auto thermostat.
using a fireplace will only help if you have access to free wood. it is freakin expensive to burn logs all winter (and a pain in the as*), you may as well use the heater.
if you have a fireplace and you aren't using it, cover it with plastic or a blanket. you'd be surprised at how big of a difference that can make. i have a screened in back porch and just covering those screens in the winter made the inside of the house warmer (i'm guessing that it blocked the coldest air from being right outside the door).
one thing that my parents used to do was close all the heating vents in rooms that you don't use often and then putting up blankets in the doorways to keep the heat in the room you're most often in.
my house now isn't insulated, so no matter what i'm cold. i usually keep the thermostat pretty low, but not too low, and keep a heating blanket (or regular one) on the couch for when i'm watching tv or something. if you are up and doing, you'll warm up naturally.

Answer 4

Like the first poster said, drop the thermostat a couple of degrees. I have an all electric house and I have replaced 90% of my light bulbs with the new spiral fluorescent bulbs to help save money and I installed motion sensor lights in my bathroom and other rooms that are not used that often. My biggest suggestion to people though is to budget your utilities be it electric, gas, or both. I know gas prices are high in the winter but if you budget you pay a little more in the summer but you also avoid $400 gas bills in the winter. Some food for thought.

Answer 5

Wear sweaters, layer your clothes, wearing long johns. I've seen some nice lap throws, some even in down to use when reading or watching TV. Drink hot drinks and soups. Keep moving, it warms you up. Close the vents and shut the doors of rooms you're not using. Snuggle and it keeps you warm. Go to bed early and turn down the heat. Put an automatic thermostat on your heat so when you go to work it turns it down and then up just before you get home. Turn down the thermostat at night. Might even save on Dr. bills here too, since germs don't grow in cool places.

Answer 6

It has been COLD for the last couple months. Limit opening the doors as much as possible by combining reasons to go out. Like take out garbage when going to work. Put plastic/heavy curtains/blankets over drafty windows. Open shades on sunny days where the sun shines in. The sun is getting warmer even if the temps are cold. Use that "solar" heat and cover them as soon as the sun is low in the sky. Take shorter showers. Turn off lights in rooms not being used. Wash clothes only when you have a full load....

Answer 7

Burn logs (real ones) in your fireplace. If you don't have a fire place, you can buy extra insulation to put around your windows to help keep the cold air out. Also turn the heat way down for the hours that you are not going to be at home, no sense in heating an empty house. You can also turn in down at night - get a down blanket to put over you instead, they are very warm and once you are snuggled under it, you wouldn't notice if the heat wasn't on.

Answer 8

Well for starters you could get a higher paying job and not worry about it...

OR you could do the follow;

Not use the heat.
Reduce your use by only using it when it's so cold you can't take it.
Wear flannel P.Js at night and use a big comforter and not use the heat at night.
Use the oven a lot.. Using the oven is naturally going to warm up the kitchen area...
If you have a fireplace.. use that
You could also invest in a natural gas system.. very cheap...
Sleep cuddled up to your dog/significant other every night and use natural body heat to keep you warm.

Answer 9

I don't like a cold house so I won't suggest turning the thermostat down. What I would suggest is insulation and making sure your door and windows don't leak air. It just cost me $800 to add more insulation to my attic and the cold month this year is $100 less than last year. (that is not taking into account that gas is higher this year) I believe I will save enough to pay for the insulation in two years, three at the most.

Answer 10

I have this problem too. It helps to turn down the heat when you are out of the house, and if you have separate thermostats for different rooms, keep it turned down in the rooms you aren't in often. Also, putting plastic over any windows with a draft will help. They have kits for this that are fairly cheap, and the only tool you need is a hair dryer. Check around your doors for drafts as well.

If you haven't checked it in a while, check the air filter for your furnace too. It wouldn't hurt to replace it if you haven't done so in a while.

Answer 11

The thing that helped me out a lot this winter is this stuff that you put over your windows that prevent drafts (it looks like cyran wrap and is made by 3m) anyway you put two sided tape around your window frame and then apply the clear plastic, and your heater will @ least kick on 1/4 less then it would normally. That can make a big difference on your bill. But hey, Spring is almost here!