Trying to stay warm during the winter, especially in the northern states, can be a challenge for people looking to keep their energy costs low. Lots of things will help, such as installing newer, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, installing double paned windows and adding insulation in the attic. Making sure your pipes are well insulated and drafts are repaired will also be big money savers. But not all of us have it in our budget to do a big overhaul like this.
Don’t sweat it! (No pun intended...) There are lots of easy things you can do to keep the goosebumps at bay this winter season.
Start by doing some basic home repairs yourself. In older houses, the doors and windows can be one of the worst places where heat escapes. You can easily fix this problem by applying permanent weather stripping to your doors and windows and caulking any cracks.
Depending on your heating system, you should only heat the rooms that are always in use. If you have a large house and a costly energy bill especially, sealing off a rarely used dining room, for example, can save you lots of wasted money. It is a easy craft project to make your own draft stopper snakes, to keep the cold from coming into the rest of the house, or under any door that gets a draft.
Also make sure that your heating vents or radiators aren’t blocked by furniture or heavy curtains or you’ll be paying to keep your furniture, not your family, warm.
Ensure that you use your heat wisely. Turn it down in the day when no one is home or on a bright sunny day when you can open the curtains and let the sun do some work for you. Putting an extra blanket on the bed and turning the thermostat down just one degree can have a significant impact on your energy use. If it is cold outside, there is no reason why the temperature inside your house should be warm enough for you to wear summer clothes. Instead, wear layers of warm pants, socks, and sweatshirts.
And when you go to wash all those layers of clothes, wash them in cold water. Hot water doesn’t make your clothes cleaner, but cleaning them properly with earth friendly detergents does. (BTW, Tide tests on animals). Plus you’ll save the hot water in your boiler for your showers, rather than your clothes.
Lots of people like electric blankets or space heaters, and although newer models are more energy efficient, unless it is saving you money on your gas heat bill, invest in a warm comforter instead. Having those blankets and heaters plugged in all night is only saving energy if you are replacing your heat with the blanket or space heater, by turning your heat all the way down and letting the heater do the work instead.
Your pets make great bed warmers, as do hot water bottles (water your plants with the tepid water in the morning). Or keep extra cozy by snuggling up with a bed buddy.
Make sure you make the most use out of the heat you have. Moist air holds heat better than dry, so doing something as simple as putting pans of water on your radiator to up the humidity will help keep heat trapped in your house. Getting some house plants can help this as well. If you have ceiling fans that are reversible; that can push air down as well as pull it up, switch them on the reverse setting to send the hot air that rises back down to where you’ll feel it.
Another simple trick I like: with dishes that are being baked for 35 minutes plus, turn the oven off for the last five, without opening the door. The heat that’s built up over the last 30 minutes will continue to cook your food for the extra time. Just take care when cooking meats that the meat reaches the correct temperature to kill any bacteria. I also like to open the oven after I’m done cooking to let that heat out into the room. And remember to keep your fridge and freezer doors shut tight! No one invited cold air to this house party.
Source: BecauseAction.com
