Five Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill

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With rising energy prices, everyone is looking for ways to keep their gas bill in the lowest possible without just plain going without heat for the winter months. If you’re like most American’s, these following tips can help you lower your heating bill every month and allow you to have as much heat as you need, without leaving you broke:

1. If you have a furnace, replace the filter. A clogged filter can make your furnace work twice as hard as it needs to, making it use up more energy in the process. If you have a central heating unit, change the filter at least once a year and if you have a heat pump, replace the filter twice a year. In addition, when you replace your filter, use a vacuum to clean up any left over dust is left in the furnace or that has fallen on the floor (the dust is full of germs and can cause you to get sick in inhaled, so wearing a mask is advised.)
2. Get a programmable thermostat. This will allow you to program what temperatures you want and when, so in case you forget to set it yourself, the thermostat will change to the most energy efficient setting at the right time.
3. Insulation in both the walls and ductwork; insulation increases your home’s ability to retain heat, which means you will not have to run your heating system all day and night.
4. Clean heaters before using them, this will allow for the heaters to work at their best and not use twice the amount of energy as it needs (similar to number 1 with the furnace, both need to be clean in order to work at 100%)
5. Cover air conditioners that are not in use and weather-strip around air conditioners and windows. If you can see light around your air conditioner unit or windows, then your warm air is going out of those open areas and not staying in your home, where you need it most. You can buy foam tape to weather-strip around your air conditioner and windows.

These are just some easy to follow tips on how to keep your energy bill low and none of these fixes are cheap in themselves and save more money in the long run.