Rent is expensive enough as it is… if you don’t have your utilities set up efficiently, then you’re probably tacking on a couple hundred dollars each month to that rent bill.
Heat is a utility that’s completely necessary. Some might argue that you can get by with just a couple of fans in the summer, but humans weren’t built to be able to function in cold climates. You need to warm up, and warming up means that your utility bill is going up.
Use these two tricks to cut back on your heating costs. Use the money you save to enjoy life – winter can be depressing if you’re staying inside all of the time!
Windows
Windows are (literally) the gateway to cold air getting inside of your house. Keeping your windows open in the spring, summer, or fall can be pleasant, but in the winter you’re looking to minimize all air flow in and out of your house. You want to keep the heat you’re paying for in, and you want to keep that frigid air out.
The obvious problem is that you can’t just “get rid” of windows. You still need something to be letting light into your house. No one wants to be living in darkness 24/7.
Consider updating your windows. You can’t change the material that your house is made of, but you can change the types of windows that you have.
New windows can reduce air flow by as much as 80%. We’re not saying that buying new windows will be cheap, but look at it this way: if your monthly heat bill is $200 and you can save $100 per month by upgrading all of your windows for $1,000, it’ll only take you 10 months to recuperate that loss. They’ll also keep your air house cooler in the summer – it’s an investment that will help you save all year long.
Check your furnace
Furnaces are incredibly expensive – much more so than windows. You can get a brand new furnace, but that’ll be quite the investment. Furnaces usually last for decades… but they do break along the way.
The thing that homeowners don’t realize is that furnaces often don’t break completely – just a single part breaks. This single part can lead to the entire unit operating inefficiently. All of the sudden, you’re spending twice as much on your heat bill but still producing the same amount of heat.
Even if your city isn’t the coldest, it’s still worth checking up on your furnace. For example, St. Louis only falls below freezing for around 30 days a year, but on those 30 days, you better believe that you’ll be cranking the heat. Like we said, furnace repair in St. Louis is relatively inexpensive, and it will pay off in the long run.
Don’t be a slave to your utility costs. If you notice an uptick in them when winter rolls around, do something about it. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to cut your heating costs in half with a little bit of work.
These are great tips. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips. If you don’t do regularl check ups on your heating/cooLing systems, you are going to end up with costly repairs.
Great tips, it’s always nice to find way to save money.
We just got an oil delivery yesterday. It cost and arm and a leg. Ouch.
Very good tips. Windows can be a good investment to save energy.
Great tips! We rent and heat is included, which is so wonderful living here in the Northeast, but some of the windows are old and drafty. I feel a little bad cranking up the heat, but our landlord doesn’t seem to care or have any interest in upgrading.
We had more insulation blown into our attic in our last house because it had compacted to a ridiculous amount and wasn’t energy efficient. That helped a TON!
These are all excellent tips to help save on those heating bills!
Great tips.. we just installed a huge bay window in our living room… love the window. We got the top of the line window so we wouldn’t lose our heat in the winter.
Great tips. It’s amazing how much heat loss is from our windows. Even the double paned ones – you can still feel cold air come through when the wind is high, so we cover them with plastic.
My dad just got new, energy efficient windows installed. The savings on his heating and air bills has been amazing!
great tips, it’s amazing how much heat we lose through our windows each year
our heating bills are awful thanks for the tips
Thanks for the heat saving advice. We are always looking for more ways to save on heat bills. 🙂
I have to opposite problem,we live in an apartment and my landlord pays for gas. It is always WAY too hot in here! LOL My grandfather on the other hand could definitely use this information!
We put all new windows in a couple of years ago and save over 100 on our heating cost now. We should have done it sooner.
We just replaced our windows and are hoping to save big this year on heating costs!
We installed new windows and it eased our heat cost.
We are lucky to have good windows, but we have a heat pump. A heat pump should be fine for Texas, but last year was unseasonably cold and our heat pump could not keep up. I would wake up some mornings and the temp inside the house was 59.
I actually need to have my boiler expected. We get it done every year and haven’t had a chance to call our guy as yet. Great tips because heating can be very expensive.
We are in Florida, so it is not that cold in the winter. We don’t have a furnace, but checking the windows could save us a lot.
We save on heating costs by using heavy drapes in the winter and checking the filter on the heater.
I live in Florida so I don’t have a furnace but checking the windows is very important, especially if you live in an older home. It would be nice just to have some cool weather!!
These are some great tips, especially with winter coming!
During the Fall and Winter heating cost can go up so much. Great tip about checking your windows. This can really help keep costs down.
We always cover the windows for the winter because otherwise our bill is out of this world.