If you’re trying to keep warm this winter on the cheap, read this article to find great tips on keeping the heat in and the bills low. It’s likely that you can do some easy, inexpensive things to improve your home’s energy efficiency and keep it at a comfortable temperature.
Your first step should be to seal up your home’s cracks. There are probably a lot of places where your home is leaking energy. Doors and windows are common culprits. A tube of caulk and package of insulation strips are cheap to buy in the hardware store and can save you many times their cost in heating bills.
Surprisingly enough, one of the ways to keep your home heated is to open a window. Regular ventilation helps your home release moisture and “old” air, thus helping to prevent mold, mildew, rot and other expensive problems. Don’t just keep a window open, though; regularly open windows and doors several times a day to “change” the air and keep your home’s humidity at a moderate level.
Speaking of windows, putting up a plastic barrier can save you plenty in heating bills. A single layer of plastic traps air keeps a warm layer between the interior of your home and the great outdoors. You can always buy thermal windows or install storm covers, which can certainly help, but your humble plastic wrap is definitely a cheap first response.
A thermostat timer is a great way to keep your home at a comfortable temperature while you’re there, but at a lower temperature while you’re away. When at work, on errands or on vacation, make sure you turn down the heat; no sense in heating your home when there’s no one there to appreciate it.
Instead of turning up the thermostat every time you get a chill, practice putting on more clothing. A sweater or extra blanket blocks the cold, is cheap to buy and free to put on. Wearing layers is the best way to keep warm while relaxing in front of the TV or computer.
To help you figure out where energy is escaping, you might enlist the services of a professional. You may be able to get a free evaluation of your home by your local “green” group or power company. This can tell you where to focus your home efficiency improvement efforts.
Your efforts to improve your home’s energy efficiency will not only pay off in terms of lower bills; it will also contribute to the overall energy usage in your neighborhood and city. This can take more burdens off the local environment, so it’s really a win-win situation all around.
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