Save Money and Energy – Reduce Your Space Heating Costs
Space heating is your home’s number one energy consumer. More than 1/3 of your electricity bill goes to heating, which makes it a perfect place to Save Money and Energy.
How much exactly? With just a few of these energy saving tips you can reduce your heating costs by at least 30%, which translates to more than 10% of your over all electric bill!
Wondering how to lower electric bill? Here’s how to save money on home heating:
Adjust the TemperatureMost people freeze their house in the summer, and boil it in winter.
Just by adjusting the correct temperature you can lower electric bills significantly!
Setting the thermostat just 2÷F (1÷C) lower will save you 5%-10% on heating expenses!
Set your thermostat to a 68÷F (20÷C). This temperature is comfortable enough, will save energy and cut your utility bill.
With heating being your biggest energy consumer, this is your number one energy saving tip!
Install a Programmable ThermostatThese devices enable you to regulate the temperature in your home automatically, according to a schedule you program into them. Thus, you can program a lower temperature at night when you’re under the blankets, or during day hours when you are routinely away from home.
Some people even have a second set of settings for weekend, when they usually spend more time at home.
Energy cost savings of 10%-20% on your heating expenses can be expected.
Keep the Doors ShutMake sure all the doors leading to unused rooms are shut. No point in heating unused space. If you have an individual room heat, close it too.
Save money and energy at zero cost.
Wear Warmer ClothesDuring winter, try wearing warmer clothes or one more layer. This will allow you to lower the temperature. Even 2÷F (1÷C) lower will have a huge impact on your heating costs, and will save you 5%-10% on electric power.
With just warm clothes you get to save both money and energy. More money in your pocket, Less green-house gases.
Air-Seal it! As much as 25% of your heating expenses are wasted to air leaks. An afternoon spent on detecting and fixing leaks will pay itself a time fold, and is a big step towards cheaper electricity bill.
There are many cheap ways to find a leak:
- If you see a crack – you’ve got a leak.
- If you can feel the cool air slipping outside beneath the door or under the window – that’s a leak.
- Try holding a feather around the windows and doors. If it moves – it’s a leak.
- Have someone light incense on the outside and put it near the windows or doors. If you can smell it inside – you have a leak. You can do the opposite – light it inside and look for the leak from the outside.
Look for leaks around window and door frames, fireplaces and attics as well as dryer vents, mail slots, electric outlets, pipes, gaps around air conditioners etc.
Air leaks around doors and windows can be easily fixed using either weather striping or caulking. Most caulking products cost under $10 on Amazon or eBay
.
Caulking Rope, one of the easiest types to apply sells for about 1$ per 10 feet on Amazon & eBay
.
Air sealing your home is a really good investment, as it will save money and energy all year round, helping you to reduce your electric bill on space cooling in the summer too.
Insulate it!If your home is not properly insulated, you are throwing money away!
Extra insulation usually pay’s itself in 1 or 2 years and helps saving the environment too.
Take a look around the attic – good insulation should be around 6 inches to 1 foot thick. As heat rises, poor insulation will let it leak into the attic and be wasted, resulting in high utility bills.
Proper insulation can save 5%-10% from your cooling costs, and will also help you to save money and energy on space cooling during summer.
Insulating you attic can make an easy DIY weekend project. Proper r-38 insulation can be found on Amazon or eBay.
Install Double GlazingDouble Glazed Windows insulate much better then regular ones do, and will cut between 10%-15% from your heating costs!
Double Glazing will, needles to say, help you to save money on electricity all year round, as it will also help keeping the cold air in summer.
They aren’t cheap, but will pay themselves after 3 to 4 years.
Roll Up the CurtainsLet the sun in to help heat your home with passive solar energy.
At night close back the curtains, as they will become a secondary insulating layer and will slow down the loss of heat from the room.
You get to save money and energy for free!
Use that Ceiling FanYes, I’m serious.
During winter, the hot air being lighter than cold air rises up and accumulates near the ceiling, while the cold air is being pushed downwards, where the occupants of the house get to fill it.
Ceiling fans come with a reverse spin switch.
Using the reverse switch will suck the cold air upwards while circulating the hot air downwards, creating a warm feeling without the breeze effect, so again you get to save money on energy for free.
Both Amazon & eBay
carries a wide selection of Ceiling Fans
.
Asses your Heating CostsDepending on where you live, select energy source according to availability and costs. Sometimes electricity is the most efficient, but also the most costly.
Sources vary between electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil, wood etc.
Do the same with your hot water. Which system best suits your need? Electric water heating may be cheaper than gas when you’re heating large amounts of water on a regular basis.
If on the other hand you use a small amount of water on a random basis, an Instant Water Heater (also called Tank less Water Heater or On Demand water Heater) may save you money on energy.
Limit the Use of Ventilation Fans Kitchen and Bathroom ventilation fans exhaust hot air from the inside of your home outside. Use them only when needed, and don’t forget to switch them off after you’re done ventilating the kitchen or bathroom.
Second to Space Heating comes Space Cooling, which is also a big energy consumer, and a good candidate for energy saving tips. Continue learning more Energy Cost Reduction tips on Space Cooling.