How to Lower Your Heating Bill This Winter

As temperatures drop, the amount you pay on your heating bill often increases. It’s a familiar seasonal dread, but you have more control over your energy costs than you might think. With a few smart adjustments and some weekend DIY projects, you can significantly lower your heating bill, making your home more comfortable and your wallet happier.

This guide will walk you through practical and effective strategies to reduce your heating expenses. We’ll cover everything from simple habit changes to essential home maintenance. You’ll learn how to improve insulation, master your thermostat, seal energy-wasting drafts, and keep your heating system in top shape. Let’s get started on making your home cozier and more energy-efficient.

Master Your Thermostat for Big Savings

Your thermostat is the command center for your home’s heating, and using it wisely is one of the easiest ways to save money. You can save up to 10% a year on heating costs by simply turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its standard setting.

Upgrade to a Programmable or Smart Thermostat

If you still have a manual thermostat, upgrading is a game-changer.

• Programmable Thermostats: These allow you to set a schedule for your heating system. You can program it to lower the temperature when you’re asleep or away at work and warm the house up just before you wake up or return. This “set it and forget it” approach ensures you’re not paying to heat an empty house.
• Smart Thermostats: These devices take automation a step further. They can learn your household’s patterns and adjust the temperature automatically. Many can be controlled from your smartphone, so you can turn down the heat if you forgot to before leaving the house. Some models even provide detailed energy usage reports, helping you identify more ways to save.

Find Your Ideal Temperature Settings

Experiment to find the lowest comfortable temperature for when you’re home. When you’re away or sleeping, try setting the thermostat even lower. Wearing a sweater or using an extra blanket is a simple, no-cost way to feel warmer without cranking up the heat.

Stop Drafts and Seal Air Leaks

You wouldn’t leave a window open in the middle of winter, but small cracks and gaps throughout your home can add up to the same effect. Heat escapes through these openings, forcing your furnace to work harder. Finding and sealing these air leaks is a crucial step in lowering your heating bill.

Common culprits for air leaks include:

• Windows and Doors: Check for gaps around frames. Apply weatherstripping to create a tight seal on moving parts and use caulk for stationary gaps. For a cheap and temporary fix, you can use removable plastic film insulation kits on windows.
• Electrical Outlets and Switches: On exterior walls, these can be a surprising source of drafts. You can install foam gaskets behind the faceplates to block this airflow.
• Attic Hatches: An uninsulated attic hatch is a significant source of heat loss. Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and attach rigid foam insulation to the back of the hatch.
• Plumbing and Wiring Penetrations: Look for gaps around pipes, vents, or wires that go through your walls, floors, or ceilings. Use spray foam or caulk to seal these openings.

Sealing these leaks can save you 10% to 20% on your annual heating and cooling bills, making it a high-impact project with a fast return on investment.

Improve Your Home’s Insulation

Insulation acts like a blanket for your home, slowing the movement of heat from the inside to the outside. If your home is under-insulated, you’re constantly losing heat through your walls and ceiling. While adding insulation can be a bigger project, its impact on your heating bill is substantial.

Key Areas to Insulate

• The Attic: Since heat rises, the attic is one of the most important places to have proper insulation. Check your current insulation levels. If you can see the tops of your floor joists, you likely need more. Adding blown-in or batt insulation can be a DIY job for the handy homeowner or a worthwhile project for a professional.
• Basements and Crawl Spaces: Insulating basement walls and the space between floor joists above a crawl space prevents cold air from seeping into the main living areas. This not only saves energy but also makes your floors feel warmer.
• Walls: While more complex, adding insulation to exterior walls provides significant energy savings, especially in older homes. This is often done by professionals who can blow insulation into wall cavities with minimal disruption.

Maintain Your Heating System

An inefficient heating system uses more fuel to produce the same amount of heat. Regular maintenance ensures your furnace, boiler, or heat pump runs at peak efficiency, preventing costly breakdowns and high energy bills.

Annual Professional Tune-Up

Schedule a professional service for your heating system once a year, ideally in the fall before you need to turn it on. A technician will clean the components, check for safety issues like carbon monoxide leaks, and make adjustments to improve efficiency. A well-maintained system can run up to 10% more efficiently than a neglected one.

Change Your Filters Regularly

This is one of the simplest yet most effective maintenance tasks you can do yourself. A clogged air filter restricts airflow, forcing the system to work harder and use more energy. Check your filter every month and replace it when it’s dirty, or at least every three months. Clean filters also improve your home’s indoor air quality.

More Tips for a Warmer, Cheaper Winter

• Use the Sun: Open your curtains on south-facing windows during the day to let in natural sunlight and warm your home for free. Close them at night to add a layer of insulation and keep the warmth in.
• Check Your Vents: Make sure furniture, rugs, or drapes are not blocking your heating vents. Proper airflow is key to distributing heat efficiently throughout your home.
• Reduce Heat Loss in the Fireplace: If you have a fireplace, keep the damper closed unless a fire is burning. An open damper is like an open window, letting warm air escape up the chimney.
• Use Ceiling Fans in Reverse: Many ceiling fans have a reverse switch. In the winter, running the fan clockwise on a low speed pushes warm air that has risen to the ceiling back down into the living space.

A Win for Your Wallet and the Planet

Lowering your heating bill is about more than just saving money. By reducing your energy consumption, you’re also decreasing your home’s carbon footprint. Many of these strategies, from sealing drafts to upgrading your thermostat, contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Start with the small, manageable tasks first. Change your thermostat habits, check for drafts, and replace your furnace filter. As the savings add up, you might be inspired to tackle bigger projects like adding insulation. Every step you take makes your home more efficient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly.

Kim Shaw

(928) 710-9148