20 Ways to Beat the High Cost of Heating Your Home This Winter
The upcoming winter season is expected to be “wet and cold for most locations,” according to the 2024 Farmer’s Almanac1. That means now is a good time to figure out how to lower heating costs so you can stay warm without breaking the bank.
With high prices on food, gas and utilities, we could all use a break. A little preventive maintenance and some other easy fixes can help keep costs down.
With that in mind, here are 20 ways to reduce your home heating costs this winter.
20 Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill
From proper insulation to simple maintenance checks and fixes, these tips to avoid sticker shock from your heating are worth the effort.
1. Get a Free Home Energy Assessment
Many power providers offer free home energy assessments or home energy optimization kits. Xcel Energy, which serves much of the northern Midwest and mountain regions of the U.S., provides a free virtual visit with a Home Energy Squad member, followed by a free kit to optimize your residential electrical usage (which is especially useful if you have electric heating).
2. Seal Cracks and Leaks
When it’s freezing outside, don’t let any precious heat escape through drafty doors and leaky windows. Seal these money-draining spaces with inexpensive draft tape, often ranging from $10 to $25 on popular sites like Amazon.
3. Upgrade to Efficient Equipment with a Rebate
Although upgrading HVAC systems and thermostats can be pricey, many electrical companies offer rebate programs. ConEd, which serves New York City, offers rebates on smart thermostats. Check with your energy provider to see if rebates are offered in your area. This could mean more than $100 back in your pocket.
4. If You Have a Smart Thermostat, Use It
For those who already have a Nest or other programmable thermostat in your home, take the time to program it. Smart thermostats offer zonal and timed heating and cooling, which on average will save most homeowners 10-12% on heating bills and up to 15% on their cooling bills.
5. Invest in a One-Time Duct Cleaning
A major cause of ineffective or inefficient home heating may be clogged ductwork. Over the years, debris like dust, pet hair and dander can accumulate in vents and make it difficult for air to flow smoothly throughout your space. Cleaner ducts can be a great way to lower electric bills, because you’ll be less likely to turn up the heat. HVAC system maintenance is relatively affordable, and a one-time vent cleaning will take about $200 to $300 out of your home maintenance budget.
6. Run Electric Heaters During the Day
Some electric companies charge higher rates during the day (aka peak hours) and lower rates in the evening (aka off-peak hours). If you’re wondering how to lower the electric bill, it can help save a few bucks here and there to only run electric heaters during the day (when possible and safe to do so).
7. Replace Window Screens
Leveraging Mother Nature when possible to decrease your bill and your energy consumption is a great idea. In this case, replacing snared, ripped window screens with relatively inexpensive new ones (approximately $30) can help to better insulate your windows, preventing any unwanted major cracks or gashes from emitting cold air into your home.
8. Insulate Hidden Areas
Any item in your house that has pipes behind it (toilets, sinks, etc.) likely is simply sitting in an open hole in the wall with no insulation. This means that in the winter, cold air could be seeping into your home while the warm air from your heating system could be leaking out. Consult with a professional to learn more about how adding insulation behind toilets and sinks can help make your home more energy efficient.
9. Close the Door
If you live in a multi-room home, closing the doors to unused rooms will consolidate your heating usage and keep rooms much warmer. Pick a room or two to hang out in for the majority of the day, and shut the doors to the others to naturally create zonal heating.
10. Only Heat The Rooms You Use
In addition to closing the door to rooms you don’t necessarily need to heat, be sure to only click the heat on in the zones you really need to. Having multiple thermostats throughout your house — zone heating — is an efficient way to reduce home heating costs.
11. Lower the Hot Water Heater Temperature
The default temperature for water heaters is 140 degrees, which wastes between $36 and $61 a year, according to the Department of Energy.
According to the DOE, lowering the maximum temperature to 120 degrees is perfectly fine for the majority of the population. While your daily shower might not be as hot, you’ll save a few extra bucks throughout the winter season.
12. Decrease Door Drafts with a Draft Stopper
Using the aptly named draft stopper on your doors can further prevent air leaks throughout your home. For only $12, you can keep precious heat circulating in your space without losing it to wasteful door leaks. Another painless way to save money.
13. Avoid Using Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans are generally already built into your home, like the kind above a stove or shower. These fans do an exceptionally good job of circulating air and removing moisture and humidity from that air. But running these fans when not cooking or in the shower reduces the warm air in your home.
14. Go Through a Checklist
Owning or renting a home comes with all sorts of maintenance. It can be hard to keep track of what to do at what time of year in order to keep your space clean and efficient. Referring to a home checklist like this one can ensure you’re ticking off the correct boxes to prepare your home for colder months, potentially saving you some dough on heating bills throughout the winter.
15. Rearrange Your Furniture
Go through the house and check to make sure you don’t have beds, dressers, bookcases or other furniture blocking heating vents. If the vents are blocked (especially by taller items like bookshelves) and heating isn’t evenly distributed, this may cause you to turn up the heating unnecessarily.
16. Seal the Chimney
Sealing off your chimney — or at least closing the damper — prevents warm air from leaking out and cold air from wafting in. There are lots of different ways to seal a chimney, from a chimney balloon to using plastic to cover the hearth. Consult with a professional to find out what’s right for your home.
17. Leave Your Blinds Open
It’s no secret that sun-facing windows can cause a room — or the entire house — to heat up. In the winter, this is great. Leaving your blinds open during the day, especially in rooms that get lots of direct sunlight, can decrease the need to crank the heat.
18. Dinner for Breakfast
Well, not actually. But being smart about using the oven can keep your home warmer and potentially result in lower heating bills. Cooking with an oven in the morning, when it’s coldest out, can ensure that your home starts to heat up at the beginning of the day. Once you’re done cooking, leave the oven door open even after you’ve shut the oven off. The residual heat will enter your home, offering some extra heat without having to crank the thermostat as soon as you get up. Likewise, using an oven closer to those off-peak hours means it may not cost as much to run. A warmer house using less heating and a delicious meal? What’s better than that?
19. Use a Humidifier
Humid air feels warmer than dry air, which can help you feel more comfortable at lower temperatures. Consider turning on your humidifier throughout the day, which can help heat your space and reduce the need for you to turn on the heat.
20. Dress in Multiple Layers and Use Extra Bedding
Instead of keeping the heat on, dressing in multiple layers and using extra bedding can make you feel warmer. Keeping extra sweaters and light jackets around the house is a great idea, and so are duvets and thick blankets for your bed.
Kristin Jenny is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
Adam Palasciano is a personal finance-obsessed and money-savvy individual who loves to create content on all things saving and making money. His work also appears on The Smart Wallet, FinanceBuzz, Yahoo! Finance, JoyWallet, GoBankingRates.com and The Money Manual.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Heating Bills
We answer some of the most asked questions about heating bills and what makes them so high.
To reduce your heating bill, take stock of how many hours of heating you use a day. Then, look for where you can limit the amount of time that the heat is on or the number of rooms you use the heat in. This will slowly but surely start to reduce your home heating bill.
There may be many reasons, including drafts, furniture blocking vents or infrastructure in need of repair and poor insulation. Another reason could be that you leave all your heating zones on, all the time. Poor insulation can be a huge drain on energy efficiency. If you have major cracks in your window frames, walls, baseboards and more, you are basically watching your hard-earned dollars fall through those gaps. Likewise, if doors are left open (especially the garage door or patio door), you are bleeding warm air through those areas, causing your home heating to work harder.
You can lower your heating bill and stay comfortable at home by sealing drafts, adding better insulation, using a smart or programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature when you’re not home, and maintaining your HVAC system properly.
Also, layering your clothes and leaving your blinds open in sunny rooms during the day can help maintain comfort while reducing energy use all winter long.
