Top 5 Tips for Cutting Your Heating Bill

Although spring is coming, we still have a couple of months of chilly weather. You don’t want to lose big
chunks of your paycheck to your heating bill. Before the last chills of the season come, review our tips for saving energy. They might just put a little extra money in your pocket. Read on to learn more.

1. Use Passive Solar Heating

During the daytime, pull all of your curtains back. Even the limited sun we see in winter will warm up
your home. Take note of which windows in your home are south-facing. This aspect emits light from sunrise to sunset, maximizing the amount of solar heating your home can absorb. If you utilize passive solar heating all winter, it can reduce your heating bill by approximately 30 percent.

In the evening, make sure to close the curtains. Doing so will keep the cool temperatures out. Get in the habit of opening your curtains in the morning again, just after you wake up.

Consider buying heat-insulating drapes, which contain the warmth emitted from light within your home.

2. Cover Your Windows With Plastic Film

Decide which windows you absolutely must see clearly through, and which ones you don’t mind covering with a translucent film. Next, measure your windows.

You can purchase big, inexpensive swatches of clear, plastic film at most hardware and home improvement stores. Cut them according to your window’s measurements and tape them to the exterior of the windows with clear tape. Be sure to seal them tightly to reduce drafts.

North-facing windows, for example, don’t emit much light. Seal them with plastic film on the outside and
the inside of your home to prevent drafts and minimize heat leakage.

3. Turn Down the Thermostat (and Water Heater)

Many people like to sleep in comfortable, warm temperatures. Therefore, most of us keep our thermostats up during the evening in order to prevent waking up with a chill. You can reduce your heating bill dramatically by adding extra blankets to your bed and sleeping in warmer clothing. Try to keep the thermostat 10 to 15 degrees lower than you keep it during the day.

While you’re awake, shoot for the coolest possible temperature that you can and keep your thermostat at that temperature. Even small reductions in its use can mean big reductions in your bill.

Turn your water heater temperature down to 120 degrees. Over the course of the winter, it can reduce your bill by 10 percent.

4. Replace Weather Stripping and Door Thresholds

The weather stripping along your home’s windows and the thresholds on your outside doors stop a tremendous amount of cold air from getting into the house. Over time, though, the stripping and thresholds begin to peel away. As a result, the heat in your home begins to leak outside.

Heat leakage wastes money, and you can stop it with a quick trip to the hardware store and a little door
and window maintenance. If you’ve noticed worn, peeled, aging weather stripping and door thresholds, measure the affected windows and doors. Visit your local home improvement store, purchase new stripping and thresholds, and install them back at home.

5. Keep Your Heating System Maintained

Arguably the most important thing you can do is to maintain your heating system. Swap out your furnace filters every month. Keep your flue vent clean and, when you aren’t burning a fire, keep it closed. Make sure to remove any furniture or carpets from the heating vents, which will allow heat to circulate throughout your home.

Schedule regular maintenance with heating technicians, including pre- and post-winter check-ups. A local, reputable heating repair and installation service can make sure your furnace, heat pumps, boilers, and water heaters keep you warm during the last bit of cool, Seattle temperatures.