It’s time to dread the heating bill again. When the temperature drops, our bank account balances have a tendency to do the same. Resisting the temptation to crank the thermostat on a chilly night can be tough – but, luckily, there are other, inexpensive ways to get your house warmed up and keep your wallet happy this winter!
1. Caulk Your Window Frames
Caulk, which is commonly used around windows to block air leaks, only costs a few dollars but adds up to major savings on your heating bill.
2. Open the Windows When It’s Sunny
This might seem too simple to be true, but it makes perfect sense. The sun is, after all, our biggest source for natural warmth – why not use it while it’s free?
3. Close Your Windows When the Sun Sets
Conversely, heat travels out at sunset just how it came in: your windows. Try using some thermal curtains to trap the natural heat inside.
4. Put Down Rugs
Putting rugs on hardwood or tile floors keeps the heat from escaping through the floor…they’re also a lot cozier to walk on then cold tile in the winter.
5. Shower With the Door Open
It might seem counter intuitive, but taking hot showers with the door open lets the hot, heavy air from your shower get dispersed throughout your home. Go on, share the wealth.
6. Use a Fireplace Plug
Surprisingly, 20% of your home’s heat can escape through your drafty chimney. Using an inflatable fire place plug is the best way to avoid losing all that heat and only costs about $56.99 at Home Depot.
7. Add Your Own Insulation
Insulating your home is an investment, but it’s very much worth it, especially if you’re living in an older home.
8. Sleep With a Hot Water Bottle
It seems very 19th century, but this extremely vintage idea actually works! Keep a few hot water bottles under your sheets at the foot of your bed for toasty toes all night.
9. Keep the Oven Door Open
Similar to the idea of showering with the door open, leaving the steaming hot oven open after cooking will see to it that those toasty waves are all over your home. Be careful leaving the oven open with kids, however!
10. Use a Draftstopper
Draftstoppers are placed by the foot of a door and meant to…well…stop drafts. This handy contraption is ideal if you have a porch door of any kind or drafty basement door. Best of all, you can buy one or make your own!
11. Bubble Wrap to Insulate Windows
Like I mentioned, buying and installing insulation can get expensive. This extremely budget-friendly alternative of using bubble wrap to insulate windows may not be the most appealing option, but it will cut your heat loss in half and save you money in the long run.
12. Close Off Unused Rooms
To avoid heating guest rooms or the like that aren’t being used, close them off and seal them up with a draftstopper. This way, you’ll only be heating the most necessary parts of your home!
13. Reverse the Direction of Your Ceiling Fan
Woah, this one is scientific. Usually, ceiling fans rotate in a counterclockwise fashion to push air downward and create a cooling draft. During the winter, you can reverse your fan’s rotation to push cool air upward and mix this air with rising heat. The mixed air will spread down, warming your room.
14. Invest in Flannel Sheets
This one is simple enough: buy some flannel sheets or extra warm bedding to snuggle up with at night. You can do that.
15. Buy a Programmable Thermostat
If you’re really looking to crack down on your energy bill, you should invest in a programmable thermostat. By setting the temperature of your house 7-10 degrees cooler when you’re not home, you can save up to 10% off your usual monthly heat bill.
16. Make a DIY Terracotta Pot Heater
All you need is a Sterno flame and two terracotta pots to create your own room-warming invention! You’ll be nice and toasty, plus you’ll feel like you’ve discovered fire, which has to feel pretty great.
17. Bundle Up!
If all else fails, invest in some heavy clothes and wool socks. Then bundle up, make some tea and hunker down for the next few months.
Spring will be here soon enough, but until then we hope you’ll find some of these heating hacks helpful for the months ahead! What do you think of these energy saving tips? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.