The cost of heating is rapidly on the rise. Many families are having to choose between keeping warm and affording the rising prices of food. If you find yourself struggling with the rising cost of your power bill this winter you may find these tips on how to lower your power bill over the winter helpful.
Winterize your home to lower your power bill
If you haven’t taken the time to truly winterize your home it is never too late. This can include everything from putting plastic over windows to taking the time to hunt for drafts along your baseboards and fill them in. Exterior walls often have drafts that people don’t even realize can lead to a very cold home very quickly. Even if you did winterize in the fall as the weather turns cold in January and February you may find areas that have gone unnoticed.
Use zone heating to your advantage
Instead of paying to heat your entire home to the temperatures you are most comfortable in, set your furnace to a lower temperature and use zone heating to keep you comfortable where you are in your home. With the advancement of technology the cost of running space heaters and electric fireplaces has dropped. An infrared space heater or electric fireplace is much cheaper than your furnace to run and can help keep you comfortable in your room while you sleep or in the living room while you relax with a good book for much less than kicking up the thermostat.
Multi-task in the kitchen
While you may not be thinking about the effects of cooking on the warmth of your home, the truth is your kitchen is a great asset for helping to keep your home warm in the winter. From boiling pots of soup on the stovetop to baking bread in the oven, a lot of the foods you cook for your family can help to warm your home at the same time.
Dress warmer
While it can be hard to get young children to dress warmer, dressing the entire family warm and cosy is a great way to help keep everyone feeling warmer without cranking the heat up higher. Try getting every member of your home slippers and hoodies to help keep them more comfortable over the winter
Increase the humidity
Heaters tend to dry out the air making warmer temperatures feel colder than they really are. A great way to increase the warmth of your home is to increase the humidity. This can be done by running a humidifier, boiling a large pot of water on the stovetop, or even simply running your slow cooker with the lid propped open to allow steam to escape if you are worried you will forget you have water boiling on the stove. You can add in essential oils, dried herbs, or fruit peels to make a simmer pot that will make your home smell warm and inviting as well.
Add rugs to your home
If you have hard floors you may be spending a lot more to heat your home than you realize. Hard floors will radiate the cold from under your home into your room or simply pull the heat out of the room leaving your space colder. While these hard floors are a blessing in lowering your cooling bill they are not your friend when it comes to heating. Adding in rugs is a great way to add insulation to these floors. You can even layer cardboard boxes under them for more protection and simply move those boxes out to the garden to act as an underlayer of mulch in the spring.
Use your dryer heat
If you have an electric dryer you can help to warm your home by adding a filter to the exhaust vent and leading the pile into your home rather than out a vent. This is only safe with electric models but can help to add humidity and heat to your home lowering your power bill. When using the dryer this way, open your laundry room so the hot air can flow around your home.
Look into power plan options
In some areas, you can have access to more than one power provider. Shopping around for the prices available is a great way to lower your heating costs. From natural gas to electricity you can take a look at the options around you to see if you have the best deal and switch if you do not.
If you only have one power provider in your area check their website for different billing programs and rates. Many power companies offer power plants that run on peak pricing to help reduce the drain on the power grid. These plans will often charge much less for power at night allowing you to crank up the heat when it is needed the most without feeling the pinch.
