If your Electric, Gas or Oil Heating bills have you wondering where all your money is going then we have a few simple tips that can reduce your costs and improve the livability of your home.
Unfortunately the cost to heat your home always seems to be on the rise. There are many reasons for this but due to inflation and increased costs for labor by your utility provider you can expect that prices will always rise and never go down. For this reason it is important that you do all you can to limit your use of utilities that are wasteful.
Consider this if you were to cut your use by just 10% then you would probably save at least 3 years of increases that your utility company adds to your bill. Now you can never reduce your use to nothing but if you can optimize your use of heating oil, electric and natural gas you can offset the monthly bill increases and apply that savings to improvements or save that money for use against future increases.
Paying Your Bills
Of course it is always important to pay your utility bills on time. If you are late on a payment your provider may end up turning off your service and you will end up paying a reconnect fee that can be as much or more then a full months bill. You will also have to make good on your balance before they turn your utilities back on.
So, what if there was a way that you could not only make sure your bills are always paid on time and save some money?
There actually is …. If your utility company allows you to pay for your bill through automatic credit card billing you can use a cash back credit card to pay your bills and earn between 1% and 5% for being a good customer. If your gas bill is $100 a month and you pay by credit card you may earn enough to pay for 50% of one month’s bill. Not a bad deal and you really didn’t have to do anything except make a phone call to customer service to set it up.
Check List for Saving on Heating Costs
Open Window Blinds during the day to allow for passive solar heating. It can increase the temperature in your home 10 degrees or at least will reduce the amount of time your heater needs to run.
Apply caulk around window and door frames. It should be applied when temperatures are over 65f for best results.
Install weather stripping or repair weather stripping on doors and windows.
Add Storm Windows and Doors to reduce Drafts and improve insulation. Air that is trapped acts as insulation.
Set your thermostat at 68F in the winter, 60F when you are away and 55F or its lowest setting (but not off) if you are away for a few days.
Replace furnace filters and inspect duct registers for leaks.
Clean baseboard registers to remove dust and position furniture away from the register to allow air flow.
Do not use your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans for extended periods. One hour of use can suck a full home full of heat out of your house.
Make sure your thermostat is positioned in an appropriate place. Normally 5 feet off the floor and away from heating registers or cold areas like doors or windows.