This easy guide will help you keep your house warm in winter without emptying your wallet!
Heating a home is becoming more and more expensive these days. Especially during winter months, high energy costs can break budgets, or leave little money for other expenses.
If you’re finding that money is tight, and your energy bills or heating bills are climbing, there is no need to panic. You can keep your home warm this winter and without sending all of your money to the utilities company.
Here are several affordable and energy saving ways to repair your home and keep your house warm in winter.
Four Ways to Stay Warm on a Budget!
1. Block the bottom of your doors.
A LOT of heat is lost through the external doors of your home. Make sure there’s no cold air getting in and don’t let that warm air escape!
Buy insulated weather strips at a local hardware store to help keep heat in your home when the door is closed and keep the hot air in.
Installing these insulated draft stoppers around the border of the door is a simple and affordable way to lower your heating.
You can also make your own draught excluder using old towels or flannel sheets. Sew them into a tube shape, fill them with rice and push them up against the bottom of your door.
A homemade draft stopper like this one is a great way to reduce heat loss using materials you may already have sitting around at home!
2. Use the sun to your advantage to keep your house warm.
Radiant heating can be a great way to warm your home. During the daylight hours when the sun is shining brightly, keep window dressings open so the sun can shine in and warm it up naturally.
Keep the curtains or blinds closed at night to keep the heat in.
Thick blackout curtains like these will act as an extra insulating layer between the windows and your rooms. They are a great investment! They will help prevent heat loss when the sun isn’t shining.
3. Clean your Furnace and Ducts.
Many people do not realize how much dirt can reduce the efficiency of their furnace. Experts recommend that furnace filters be changed at the beginning of the heating season, and once a month during continued use.
This will help your heater operate more efficiently, and save you on your energy bill.
Don’t know how long it has been since the blower and blower motor were cleaned? It may be a good idea to have that done as well.
This will allow the furnace to circulate the warm air better through your home.
Clean the heating ducts periodically, to reduce the dust pushed into the air of your home, and improving the amount of heated air flow.
It’s another good investment in your home to buy and have on hand a maintenance manual for your furnace!
4. Get a programmable thermostat.
One of the best energy saving investments you can make this winter is a programmable thermostat. They cost as little as $25 and allow thermostat temperatures to be programmed to a schedule.
Set a lower temperature for times when you are typically out of the house or sleeping. Then raise it just before coming home. This method is much more energy efficient and a great way to use your heating system in a smart and cost effective way.
You can save a lot of money in the long run by paying a few extra dollars just once for a smart thermostat. Some even allow adjustments so weekends are heated differently than weekends.
As the cost of heating rises, take the time to invest in little repairs that will save you money in the long run.
By controlling your energy expenses you can give your budget a better chance of survival, and keep more money in your pocket for winter fun and gifts.
These tips require little to no additional money and will have your house nice and cozy this winter.
FAQs to Keep Your House Warm in Winter
How to keep your house warm in winter?
Aside from the four tips above, there are a number of ways you can keep yourself and your house warm through the colder months.
It can be helpful to invest in a hot water bottle or hand and foot warmers which you can use to keep your hands and feet warm!
If you have a fireplace, it may actually serve you better to use it less frequently and keep the flue closed–this will help retain lots of heat.
You may also want to check your insulation and ensure that everything’s properly installed. Especially when it comes to attic insulation or loft insulation, any gaps in your insulation can be a huge perpetrator of cold air leaking in and hot air leaking out.
Does closing blinds keep your house warm in winter?
It does, but only if you time it right. You’ll want the window blinds open during the day so that sun can naturally heat things up, and then close them at night to keep all of that natural heat in.
You may also want to clean your windows at the beginning of winter to maximize the amount of solar heat you pull in.
What is the cheapest way to keep your house warm in winter?
If you have ceiling fans, they likely have a switch that reverses the rotation of the blades, which can help bring heated air down from the ceiling and down to the floor.
You also may want to consider moving furniture away from air vents to foster better air flow.
Another way to save money is to bump down your thermostat just a few degrees; oftentimes you won’t feel a huge difference, especially if you’re using other tricks to keep your house warm, but each degree you lower the temperature could help you save up to 3% on your bill.
More Info about Home Heating! Read this…
If you want to learn more about budgeting and getting in better control of your finances,
take a look at The Budget Kit, a very popular book on Amazon.
Looking to makeover your outdoor space? Read our great tips for a Patio Budget Makeover that you’ll see all summer long!
Even more tips for How to Save Money on Your Home Energy Bill!
originally published 2019; updated June 2022
