Keeping your home warm during the colder months can often lead to a substantial increase in your heating bill. As energy prices continue to rise, many households face the difficult task of balancing comfort and affordability.
Luckily, you can have both with a few simple, smart changes. These five tips will help you stay warm and cozy all winter while keeping your utility bills manageable.
1. Keep Warm Air Inside
Drafts from gaps in windows and doors or poor insulation can be huge causes of heat loss. Investing in a few home improvement projects will help you keep as much warm air inside as possible, reducing the workload for your heating system and resulting in long-term savings on your heating bill.
What To Do
- Use weather stripping or caulk to seal gaps in doors and windows.
- Replace your windows with newer, more energy-efficient options.
- Have your insulation inspected and add or replace material in attics, walls, basements, etc.
- Add foam insulation pads to outlets and light switches on exterior walls.
2. Optimize Your Thermostat Settings
Being intentional with your thermostat settings is an easy way to manage your heating costs. By making routine, controlled adjustments when you’re asleep or away you can save up to 10% on your heating bill.
What To Do
- Pick a consistent temperature to leave your thermostat at. In the winter, 68–70°F is recommended during the day, but you can leave it lower at night, between 60 and 67°F.
- If you’re traveling, you can set your thermostat even lower, but be sure it’s still warm enough to keep your pipes and other appliances safe. Generally, you can set it to around 55-60°F.
- Install a programmable or smart thermostat that will automatically make these adjustments so you don’t have to keep track of changing the settings every day.
3. Check Your Ductwork
Your heater often produces plenty of warm air, but it’s just not getting to the right places. If some parts of your house are unexplainably colder than others in the winter, leaky ductwork is likely the culprit.
What To Do
- Schedule an inspection with a professional to evaluate the current condition of your ductwork.
- Take care of any repairs or replacements recommended by your contractor, and be sure to ask for advice on maintaining your ductwork in the future.
4. Take Good Care of Your Heating System
Old, outdated, or even just poorly maintained HVAC systems tend to run inefficiently, drive up your heating bill, and break down sooner and more often. You can enhance the performance and lifespan of your system, make your home more comfortable, and save money on both utility bills and expensive repairs with these basic maintenance practices.
What To Do
- Check your filters about once every 1–3 months and clean and replace them as needed.
- Schedule yearly professional maintenance on your HVAC to make sure everything’s working properly and take care of any repairs early on.
5. Adopt Passive Heating and Energy-Saving Habits
Don’t forget to take advantage of other methods for keeping warm than your home’s built-in heating system. These tips will help you stay comfortable during the winter while still being energy-efficient and maximizing existing resources.
What To Do
- Open your blinds when it’s sunny outside to let the natural warmth in but close them again once the sun goes down to hold the heat inside.
- Wear layers and wrap up in cozy blankets at night so you won’t have to turn the heat up as much.
Maximize Your Home’s Heating with Bell Cow
At Bell Cow Service Company, we want you to stay safe, comfortable, and warm this winter. Whether you need heater maintenance and repairs or help with home improvement projects to boost your energy efficiency, we’ll be there. With our dedicated, friendly team and high-quality materials and services, we’re ready to provide you with the best customer experience every time.
For help with your heater, just schedule an appointment with Bell Cow. We’ll be in touch soon!