Greening up your home heating

The temperatures are starting to drop here in Wisconsin. That means that our heating bills are going up. We have to keep warm so the price we pay is a trade off.

There are some tips on how to keep warm and still keep change in our pockets. Finding ways to save on our heating cost can benefit both our wallets and our environment.

Getting your heating system cleaned and serviced once a year is recommended. This will keep your furnace in optimum running condition. The person who comes in to do the maintenance for you can also alert you to any potential problems. A clean heating system works more efficiently as well.

If your heating system uses filters, be sure to change them out as your maintenance will recommend to you. This does vary with your households. If you have animals that shed, you will need to change these filters out more often. If you have a family member that has allergies it is also a wise idea to change these more frequently.

The next thing you can do to save on your heating bill is to use that programmable thermostat. If you don’t have one that is programmable these are a good investment. You can turn down your heat by a few degrees for the hours you are not at home. You can also set your thermostat to 5 or 10 degrees for the hours you are sleeping.

Keep doors closed to rooms that you don’t use. If you can close heating vents in those rooms do so. There is no use heating rooms you don’t use.

Make sure those windows are sealed with storms on them. You lose a great amount of heat out of your windows. Take time to inspect all your windows. You can also install plastic over windows to add another layer of insulation. You can also invest in curtains that are lined. These keep a great deal of heat inside.

Your doors are another area that heat escapes out. You can purchase devices that you can place under your door to stop drafts. You can also go a cheap route and fill tube socks full of cotton and rice to place in front of doors. Stores such as Walmart also have available seals that can be placed around your doors to ensure they have a tight seal.

For every degree you lower your thermostat you save money. Some people choose to lower their thermostat a degree at a time, until they find a temperature that they are comfortable with. Some may have to have the thermostat set at 72 degrees where others may have their thermostat set at 65 degrees. If you can tolerate the lower temperature, you will be saving money.

You can save money by lowering your thermostat to a lower temperature and using space heaters in the rooms you use when you use them. This may not be a feasible option for everyone, but has been shown to be effect for those that use space heaters wisely.

These are only a few tips to keeping warm this winter. Remember putting on a sweater and wearing slippers is cheaper than turning up your thermostat. What other ideas can you come up with?