Save money on your heating bill.

We all talk about how we save money each week on groceries, how we are getting the best deals on products we are purchasing for gifts and holidays. How are you saving money in other areas of your home?
Today on the SavingsAngel blog, they have a great article on how to save on your winter heating bill this year!
Use these tips to save that hard earned cash for other uses!

Tips for cutting the cost of staying warm this winter. Some you may already know, some may new, all add up to more money staying in your pocket.

(1) Turn the heat down a couple of degrees. After a while, you won’t notice it around the house, but you will on your bill. (This is one that I have taken to heart, everyone seems to be a bit chilly, however, if you put on a nice warm sweater and some long pants, it's really not that bad!)

(2) Stop draft-allowing leaks. Cover your windows with plastic, install door sweeps, and replace weather-stripping on exterior doors.

(3) Cover exterior doors you don’t use. Consider placing plastic over doors you don’t use in the winter time. Plastic will help trap heat, but still be quick to tear down in case of emergency. ( I never thought of this idea, but I think I will do now do this with one of the back doors that is unused. We use our patio doors instead of the regular back door.)

(4) Hang heavier drapes over windows. They will keep cold out and warm in.

(5) Turn the heat down at least 1/2 hour before leaving, before bed, and when you are able to wrap up in warm clothing and blankets. Most homes retain heat for quite a long time before cooling off, so turning the heat down early will save even more. Learn your home’s heat retention time-frame and work within it.

(6) Only operate kitchen and bath vents when and if you really need to. They pull heat out of the home along with the air.

(7) Buy an inexpensive pair of slippers. And actually wear them. (If you don’t care for slippers, wear socks at least.) Just keeping your feet warmer helps your whole body feel much warmer. (Always have a pair of socks in, sometimes, I even wear my Mickey Mouse feet slippers.)

(8) After using the oven, turn it off and open the door. (Of course, if you have small children, be careful with this tip.) The heat released as the oven cools will help warm the kitchen, rather than just being lost. (This one is just not practical for the Ford household, our pets would be goofy enough to step up there!)

(9) Replace your furnace filter. A fresh one makes the furnace work more efficiently.

(10) Rearrange furniture to allow better airflow from heating vents. Having furniture too close can block, redirect or absorb the heat.

(11) Use more blankets. In addition to bed times, have throw blankets handy around the house to place over laps whenever sitting – at the computer, watching TV, even sitting down for meals. (I love having throws on my couch for just this purpose!)

(12) Add or improve weather stripping around attic access doors. Warm air rises and escapes quickly through even small cracks.

(13) Add specialized foam pieces underneath electrical outlet and light switch covers – particularly on exterior walls.

(14) Don’t linger too long in the shower. And wash your clothing in cold water. This doesn’t have much to do with heating, but affects the same bill.

Have a Blessed day/night,