Tip: Staying Warm and Keeping the Cost Down

Here are a few tips from our local utility company for staying warm and keeping the cost down.

1. Open drapes, blinds, and curtains during the day to allow the sunlight to warm the house. Close at night to prevent the chill from the cold windows.
2. Adjust your thermostat down 2 degrees in the winter.
3. Weatherize your home - caulk & weather strip doors & windows that may leak air.
4. Add blankets to your bed.
5. Add in insulation if needed to your attic, exterior & basement walls or crawl spaces. Check for gaps around ducts & pipes that go from inside to outside the home.
6. Keep fireplace doors & dampers closed when not in use.
7. Wear socks and/or shoes.
8. Lower you thermostat to 55-65 degrees at night or while away for long periods of time.

We currently keep our heat around 65 since we are gone most of the day. One thing we have discovered with our heat pump is that it actually runs more efficient if we keep it at one temperature all day verses changing it for day time & night time. Unfortunately, we learned it the expensive way.

Even though we are in a rental, Brian added weather stripping and a door sweep to our front doors. It has made a huge difference in the amount of air coming through. Weather stripping is a very inexpensive thing to do, but it can make a big impact. For those of you in apartments or rentals, I would suggest either asking that it be done by your landlord or just go ahead and do it yourself. Your are not devaluing or defacing the property by adding it or replacing worn out strips.

If you have other tips, be sure to comment using the button at the end of each post.