More Common Sense Cheap Home Living Heating Tips

It has already been a rough winter this year with record low temperatures in a number of states and regions.  For those homeowner who have not already done so, now is the time to winterize your home.  Cheap and simple home heating tips can save big money by the time these low temperatures move on and the flowers of spring arrive.

Often, it is just the straightforward, low cost steps that have the greatest impact when it comes to saving money with lower heating bills.  Simple and cheap home heating savings tips includes changing the furnace filter.  Changing the furnace filter is not one of these tasks to ignore; clean air flowing into the furnace prevents particle buildup which decreases the efficiency of the furnace as the furnace will have to work harder to pull air through the intake.  Poor filter quality reduces the furnace’s efficiency and cause it burn more fuel and can potentially cause damage to the unit.  Filters are relatively inexpensive, starting at about $10.00 and easy to change, so there is little reason to wait.

Use a programmable thermostat and work with nature to maximize resources.  The beauty of a programmable thermostat is that is can turn the heat down when is needed the least and turn the heat on when you need it the most.  Sounds simple.  A number of homeowners skip the new programmable thermostats because they think they change the thermostat manually.  While this is certainly true, forgetting to change the temperature just a few times will cost real money. 

A simple $25.00 programmable thermostat can be purchased that allows separate weekday and weekend programming with up to four different periods per during the day.  Have the heat set significantly lower shortly after you go to bed and then warm the house up in the morning and lower it once again as the sun rises, all without having to remember to run to the thermostat.  By using the thermostat to alter the home temperatures by 10 degrees before bed and going to work, you will see the costs savings add up quickly.

Use the sun’s heat and light to warm the home at no cost at all.  Open curtains on south facing windows during the day and close all curtains at night.  The goal is to maximize free solar energy.  In the daytime, incoming solar energy can assist substantially in the heating of the house as well as increase natural light making it easier to reduce the use of electric lighting.  At night, as there is no incoming solar energy and the home will dissipate heat faster to the cooler temperatures outside, cover any sources that speed the flow of warm air out.  Keeping the areas of the home that are most likely to dissipate the heat, windows, helps seal in the warm air trapped during the day. 

Turn down the temperature on water heaters.  Water heaters are frequently set at 140 degrees, but they will generally work just as well with hot water temperature set at 115 to 120 degrees.  With the bigger homes in the U.S, more and more homes have two water heaters set at the higher temperature which simply means the gas or oil is burning just to maintain the temperature even if the water tank is hardly drawn down during the day.  ENERGY STAR, which is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy,  recommends setting water temperature only as hot as needed (110-120 degrees) to prevent scalds and save energy (check local codes for specific temperatures).

If your water pipes are easily accessible, they can be insulated to maintain the temperature in that sits the hot water pipe longer.  If the water heater is several years old, an insulated wrap for the heater may also be considered to hold the temperature in the tank longer. 

Sealing the duct work that moves the hot air through your home can be a key energy saver.  The duct work in a home that moves air to and from the furnace or central air conditioner can be big energy wasters when there is any kind of leaks.  According to ENERGY STAR, sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent.  Sealing the ducts is relatively easy, finding any leaks can entail a little bit of work.  Start by sealing ducts in attics, garages, unheated basements and crawlspaces that lose the greatest amount of heat and, hopefully, are the easiest to get access to. 

Making good choices regarding your home’s energy use and the efficiency of the heating and ventilating in your home can save big money on your utility bills and can improve the comfort level in your home.